The Heart of Magic
by Alice I
Summary: Something sinister has happened in Camelot and by all appearances, Merlin is at the heart of it. The young warlock must battle through a mysterious ailment and profound malaise to find an answer that lies beyond magic. No slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Heart of Magic  
**Author:** Alice I  
**Betas:** The Lady Isis, Katherine Moonhawk, with invaluable feed back from Oughtaknowbetter, Serialgal, dHALL and a special thanks to Shihan Randy Crudup for his input on the sword & staff fighting and stance lessons.  
**Disclaimers:** Story based on the BBC TV series Merlin and what ever rights they have in association with the story or characters stand. Me? I own nothing, just check my bank account which ranges from zero to nothing on any given day.  
**Rating:** No swearing, No sex, No slash, some action sequences and the violence that goes with men fighting with broadswords. Oh and one dead horse too.  
**Spoilers: **The story takes place after the episode Excalibur and before the episode The Moment of Truth so spoilers for anything up to and including Excalibur.  
**Summary:** Something sinister has happened in Camelot and by all appearances, it looks like Merlin is at the heart of it. The young warlock must battle through a mysterious ailment and profound malaise to find an answer that lies beyond magic.

A/N:  
1 - To my Numb3rs readers - see A/N below  
2 - Merlin is depicted in this story as the nephew of Gaius. I read an interview with Richard Wilson posted here:  
http: // www. lastbroadcast. co. uk/ tv /v / 6073 -richard-wilson-merlin-interview. html.  
In the interview, Wilson states that his sister, Hunith, sent him her son to look after, making Merlin Gaius' nephew. I find it odd that this was never mentioned in the actual series but why would the actor who plays Gaius say this unless it were true? To read the article copy and paste the above address minus the spaces into your browser.  
3 - I will not hold this story hostage to reviews, but it is very nice to get honest feedback from the readers. Please take a few moments of your time to tell me what you liked and what you didn't like about this story.  
4 - To any and all Merlin fans - We have started a Merlin fic challenge on the writer's forum Calling All Authors. _(link can be found from my profile page)_ Please stop by and jump in. The forum needs more Merlin fans to balance out the NCIS, Numb3rs and Supernatural fans! It would also be a great way to infuse the fandom with some new Merlin stories.

**The Heart of Magic**

**Chapter One**

Stunningly deep azure blue eyes, that for all their beauty were as cold as ice, stared up into his. Perfectly shaped ruby red lips turned up at the corners into a cruel smile as searing pain shot through his body like lightening. Terrified panic engulfed him as he fell to the ground, knowing that his life had come to an abrupt end at the hands of evil. His destiny unfulfilled; his life was cut down before he had a chance to make it meaningful. In a futile attempt to escape his tormentor he rolled to his side and as his vision narrowed he saw her hiding behind the door; a witness to his last moments in this world. Her eyes reflected the same terror that pulsed through his veins even as his life ebbed away. If she was discovered, she would surly die with him. He tried to shout but, no sound passed from lungs that had ceased to draw breath. Unwilling to accept defeat, his lips still formed the warning. "Run!"

As darkness encroached, he prayed that she had understood and taken advantage of the distraction his death would give her to escape. At least then his life would not have ended in vain. Before that very hope had passed through his mind, his entire being was ripped asunder in a flash of molten agony.

Merlin woke with a scream on his lips and sat up in bed, panting as he clawed at his chest trying to find purchase on something not seen or felt. Early morning light flooded his room through the open window, his short black hair plastered against his forehead, his breathing quick and shallow, and his eyes darted back and forth not understanding where he was or what was happening to him.

Merlin's panicked voice startled Gaius awake, causing him to fall out of bed and land hard on the stone floor. The old man rolled and gained his feet far more quickly than someone his age should have been able to, and he rushed up to Merlin's room, slamming open the door. Merlin was still groping at his chest, stark terror radiating from his blue eyes as he stumbled out of bed.

"Merlin! What is it? What's wrong?" Gaius cried as he crossed the room to the young man. He bent down and tried to help his apprentice up off the floor, but when he took hold of Merlin's hand, Gaius was shocked at how cold his skin was and noted with a practiced eye that the boy was extremely pale and covered in a clammy sweat. Gaius pulled him to his feet and guided him over to the bed. "Merlin, sit down and breathe for a moment." He commanded, gently but firmly.

Merlin looked around, seemingly recognizing his surroundings for the first time. He frowned as if slightly puzzled. "This is my room."

"Yes, Merlin, it is. You came in last night and went straight to bed. You didn't even eat any dinner. I assumed, at the time, that it was due to fatigue, but now it seems you may be ill." Gaius said, as he rubbed his back that was now sore from impacting the stone floor with such force.

Startled, Merlin looked at Gaius. "You saw me then? Did I look... alright?"

Gaius was becoming more concerned, but hid it behind frustration; not a difficult accomplishment as he arched his back to try and relieve the muscle cramp that had begun there. "Yes, Merlin, of course I saw you. You looked worn out. It isn't easy doing your work without the benefit of magic, but it is necessary in order to keep you safe. It may have seemed harsh to you, for me to forbid you to use any kind of magic for a week, but I'm just glad you are heeding my instructions for once. I nearly had a heart attack when you told me that Uther had almost caught you."

Merlin once again ran his hand over his chest then looked off through the open window. "It was just a dream then," he mumbled under his breath, halfway between relieved and frustrated.

Gaius frowned at Merlin, not quite hearing what he had said. "Merlin," Gaius held up his fingers and ticked off each symptom as he listed them. "your hands are like ice, your shirt is wet with sweat, and you seem to be having chest discomfort! Are you sure you are feeling alright?"

Anxiously, Gaius tried to place a hand on Merlin's forehead to check his temperature, but the young man leaned away from his touch, and Gaius decided not to pursue the action, dropping his hand.

"I'm fine - just had a rough night, that's all, and I'm not really awake yet." Merlin tried to smile sheepishly, but all he could form was a nervous grimace and at Gaius' doubtful look he continued. "Seriously, Gaius. Look." he said, pointing up at the window. "See the window was open all night. That must be why my hands are cold and why I had trouble sleeping."

Merlin realized on some level that his argument was wholly unconvincing considering that the nights had been almost a warm as the days over the last couple of weeks. The unconvinced look Gaius cast in his direction was proof enough of that.

"Well you need to get dressed then, and don't forget to eat some breakfast before you go out this morning. You had no dinner last night and I'll not allow you to leave before eating a proper meal."

"I will," Merlin quickly agreed. He knew Gaius just wanted to help, and only had his best interests at heart; he just wanted a few minutes alone to gather his thoughts. Gaius got up to leave still eying the young man with concern. Merlin caught his look and tried to grin nonchalantly. "I'm fine, Gaius, really."

Sighing in resignation, Gaius left; closing the door behind him.

Alone again, Merlin reached up with his fingers to tenderly rub his throbbing temples, trying to think. He couldn't believe how vivid his dream had been. In truth, nightmare would have been a far more accurate description. He could clearly remember the pain, even now as the last visages of deep sleep left him.

"It was so real." he whispered to himself, compulsively checking his chest again even though he knew he would find no sign of a mark. He shook his head and instantly regretted it as his world spun on its axis. The wave of dizziness passed quickly but it left him feeling queasy and certainly in no mood to eat.

The young warlock took his time getting dressed, feeling incredibly weak and wondering if perhaps Gaius was right in his assumption that he was coming down with something, however the last thing he wanted was to have to sit around all day in Gaius' chambers with nothing to do and unable to use any magic. He wouldn't break his promise to Gaius, but he was regretting agreeing to it in the first place. He was determined to go about his duties today regardless of how he felt.

When Merlin stepped down into the common room of Gaius' chambers he was greeted with a hot bowl of broth and a large chunk of bread.

"Sit, eat." the physician ordered gently.

Merlin looked uncertainly at the food but realized that he would never be able to get on with his day unless he humored his uncle. Gaius had commented on occasion about how slender Merlin was and the young man was in no mood to give his uncle more fodder for that argument. He had only gotten a few spoonfuls down when there was an urgent knocking at the door. Merlin immediately made to rise up and answer it when Gaius held up a hand. "Oh no you don't. I'll get the door, you finish your breakfast."

One of the castle guards, clad in silver chain mail and a red tunic, stood at the door looking a little pale himself. For a moment Gaius wondered if everyone was going to look like that today.

"Your presence is required immediately."

Merlin could see Gaius' back stiffen as he instantly went on alert and began gathering his basic supplies. "Is something wrong with the King or the Prince?"

The guard looked distressed that the court physician was taking time to gather supplies and bobbed uncertainly from foot to foot. He shrugged causing his chain mail to clink noisily as he replied. "I was sent to fetch you immediately by the King."

The court physician nodded his understanding and stuffed his things into the shoulder sack that Merlin used to gather herbs for him. He turned to look at Merlin sitting at the table and was once again struck by his faint pallor. "You finish that before you go anywhere." Gaius admonished before he left with the guard.

Merlin did his best to drink the broth and actually managed to finish about half of it. The bread was completely out of the question but he didn't want Gaius to give him a lecture about it so he wrapped it in a cheese cloth and stuffed it into one of his pockets for later if he got hungry.

When he stood up to leave he was struck again with a dizzy spell, but milder than the one in his room. He knew that he really was not very well that morning, but he refused to succumb to whatever it was and left to make his way to Arthur's chambers. The Prince's bed was a mess as usual, there were dishes and discarded food scattered across the table as usual, and Arthur was nowhere to be seen. He had, however, left a message for Merlin to take both sets of his armor from the armory to the training field and set up the targets for bow practice. Merlin sighed deeply knowing that this was bound to be a very difficult task given how tired and occasionally dizzy he felt, especially considering the fact that he couldn't use magic to help him accomplish the feat. There was no point in bemoaning how dreadful his day was bound to turn out, even if he did indulge himself in some outraged muttering. Instead he simply began the task of cleaning up Arthur's chambers - which seemed, if it was possible, even more chaotic than they usually did at this time in the morning. Once finished he could get down to the armory as soon as possible, all the while wishing that he had listened to Gaius and never gotten out of bed that morning.

* * *

Gaius had been called to the stables by the King due to a gruesome discovery made by the Lady Morgana. When he arrived with the guard sent to fetch him, Morgana was sitting down on a nearby stool looking as pale as Merlin had that morning. Distracted, Gaius began to worry that some virus or sickness may be sweeping through Camelot while simultaneously praying that was not the case.

The Lady was dressed in riding slacks with her long black hair tied up in a loose bun at the nape of her slender neck. Gwen, who always seemed to withstand the short hot summer days with more grace than commoner or gentry alike, stood by her lady's side, offering her a cup of water. Morgana looked terribly upset and sought out Gaius' eyes as soon as he came into view, but the court physician was called to the scene of the lady's distress by the King before he could tend to Morgana herself.

Standing just outside the doors to the royal stables, Uther, Arthur and several guards stood around a large pool of liquid which lay dark and sinister on the flagstones. Gaius became alarmed as he drew closer and realized that what stained the ground was blood. A lot of it.

"What has happened here?" he asked as he glanced in concern over his shoulder at Morgana.

Uther, dressed in full royal grab despite the oppressive heat of the last two weeks, stepped forward. "We were rather hoping you might be able to tell us. Morgana found this when she approached the stables this morning. The guards heard her scream and came running just as the poor girl fainted from shock."

"Where is the body of the person who was murdered here?" Gaius wanted to know.

Arthur, dressed only in his light red tunic and tan slacks, had been carefully stepping around the blood pool. His flaxen hair already hanging limply down his forehead in the early morning heat, still spoke in a voice that commanded authority for one so young. "That is the problem, Gaius. There doesn't seem to be a body. Could a person lose this much blood and walk away? I see no indication that someone was dragged off, there are no scuff marks..." he broke off and bent low, looking at something just under the opened door. "What is that?" the prince asked of no one in particular as he knelt down and reached behind the door. Gingerly, he pulled out a large whitish colored object that was covered in dried blood.

Gaius immediately stepped over to Arthur to get a closer look. "Let me see that."

He took the elongated curved object carefully from the prince. It was roughly cylindrical except for a definite curve down its length. The thicker end had an indentation in the center with three distinct lumps surrounding the indentation. The other end looked to have been sheered off as if broken. Gaius suddenly looked very concerned. "This looks like... "

"A tooth." Uther finished grimly.

Arthur scoffed at this assumption. "What animal has a tooth that size?"

Uther looked up at the sky then instructed the guards to count all of the horses to be sure none were missing. "Perhaps there is a reason there is no body to be found." He announced, his tone firm and morbid.

Arthur looked aghast and also scanned the sky. "That cannot be. There are no more..."

After a few moments the guards who had entered the stables to check on the livestock stepped back into the light of the morning sun. "All of the horses are accounted for, my Lord."

"If this is not the blood of a horse then what or whom is it from?" Uther asked, clearly expecting an answer as his mood became darker by the second.

Gaius looked at the tooth he held. A bloodstain on the ivory surface showed the distinct outline of someone's fingers. "What ever this thing is, my Lord, it was wielded by a human hand. Look here - you can see the outline of two fingers." Both Uther and Arthur leaned in closer to see what Gaius was talking about and they too saw the impression of two slender fingers that were very clearly human. "Judging by the size, it was held by someone small. A small man or possibly a woman."

He wrapped the object up to put in his robes, then knelt down to examine the blood on the ground. "This blood could have come from a person, but they wouldn't live long with a wound that bled this profusely. It is possible that a large man could sustain this amount of damage and walk away but he would be dead by day's end without medical attention."

Arthur didn't look convinced as he stepped back from the pool to gain a clearer picture of the surrounding area. "If someone were to have walked away with such a grievous injury there would be evidence of that, a trail of blood, but clearly there is none. Whoever this blood is from must have been carried away, and carried away with care so as to ensure not one more drop was split."

Uther was inclined to agree with Arthur on this. Gaius frowned shaking his head at the terrible evidence of violence then glanced over to the Lady Morgana before lowering his voice. "As you say we are probably looking for a body, but there is still a possibility that the wound was bandaged long enough to walk away without leaving a trail. I suggest you search for anyone who is injured. Even if their wounds were bandaged and hidden from view, losing this much blood would leave signs. If the person was already dead then that must mean the body is here in the city for there would be no way to move the dead out of the city gates during the night past the guards."

Arthur's head snapped up at that comment and turned to the guards standing close by. "Go to the gates and be sure that all carts are checked. In this heat it shouldn't take long for a dead body to make it's presence known."

Uther was thankful that there wasn't evidence that pointed to a dragon flying around Camelot killing livestock or harming his people, but he was deeply disturbed that an apparent murder had occurred within his city walls and more troubling, in front of the royal stables. If a murderer could get this close to the royal household, commit a murder and dispose of the body without a sign, the person responsible could strike again. "We will declare a curfew until we find out what has happened here. Gaius, you said that someone so grievously injured would show signs; what sort of signs?"

"This person would be pale, weak and cold to the touch." As soon as the words left his mouth Gaius thought of Merlin.

TBC

A/N - To my Numb3rs readers - School is now back in session, and with this story done I resolve to spend the rest of my writing time finishing my last Numb3rs story, 'Methods of Intolerance'. I apologize for the long delay. Merlin quite literally hijacked my muse and refused to surrender it until I had written this little tale.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Morthwyl stood alone in the middle of the forest glade. The heavy hooded cape that covered his entire form concealing the druid from view had no effect on him even with the heat of summer casting a humid pall over the lush greenery of the forest surrounding him. Any who might chance upon him would not even see the druid standing there still and silent; mistaking him for a dead stump of a tree or an leafless bush. Such was the magic that shrouded his countenance, that even the creatures of the forest paid him no heed as they wondered through their home oblivious to his presence.

There was one could see him clearly as she approached, however. Striding directly up to the motionless figure to within an arms reach she stopped and smiled evilly, her cold blue eyes radiating with triumph.

"You have succeeded, Nimueh." the dark figure spoke.

"All went according to plan, Morthwyl." she replied smugly.

The druid's hands came up and pulled the hood back revealing a wizened yet scarred and weather beaten face. His almost black eyes raked over the sorceress with a piercing stare that had the effect he was after. "This plan is a fool's errand, Nimueh. You will not sway Emrys to your will."

Nimueh had met few that were her match in power or self-possession, but Morthwyl made her feel young and inept causing her tone to become defensive. "It won't take long for Merlin to willingly come to me. I will be his savior, his benefactor, his most trusted confidant. Together we will take back Camelot from Uther Pendragon, and the tyrannical scourge of the kingdom will beg for mercy before he dies."

Morthwyl stared hard at the sorceress. He had no love of Uther Pendragon having seen so great a number of his own people slaughtered at the hands of the despot who continued to single-handedly annihilate all magic from the land. "I know your anger, I share your pain. We have lost as much as you to the Pendragon, but I maintain that your plan is folly. Emrys is not one to be manipulated even with the old magic. He is unlike any other."

Nimueh was not dissuaded by the druid's argument. "You need not worry about me, Morthwyl. Merlin is a boy and not even fully aware of his own capabilities. That is why he will need me."

Morthwyl raised his hood shrouding his face once again in darkness. His voice resonated from within the depths of his magical cloak. "_I_am the one who revealed the ancient ritual to you, Nimueh. _I_ am the one who provided you the means to carry out this foolhardy plan. It is not _you_ that I fear for."

Within a blink of her eyes the druid was gone from the forest glade, and Nimueh stood alone. She turned to leave, but not before a shiver crawled up her spine despite the heat of the day.

* * *

It took Merlin longer than usual to clean Arthur's chambers for he seemed to have no energy and had to sit and rest frequently. By the time he'd finished and made his way down to the armory he felt as though he had run a marathon.

Moving all of Arthur's armor out to the training field plus the heavy targets seemed an insurmountable task, so the young man tried to view it in smaller increments. It may have required more frequent trips, but he set his shoulders and picked up one piece of armor at a time to carry it to the near end of the field. The targets would need to go to the far end, but once he had them down from their wall mounts he could simply roll them; which shouldn't be too terribly difficult.

The early morning sun was warming things up quickly, making Merlin break out in a clammy sweat and feel lightheaded. A thin bead of cold sweat trickled down the side of his face as he lugged the chain mail out to the training ground. Allowing the chain mail to fall he stopped for a moment and raised his face to the sky as he leaned heavily against the sword stand. He still had to contend with the large heavy wooden targets, dreading the task of getting them down off their wall mounts. After a few minutes he pushed himself up off of the sword stand and walked almost drunkenly back to the armory on unsteady legs.

Merlin kept telling himself that the targets would roll easily enough once he got them down to the ground, hopefully without breaking either them or himself. He took hold of the edge of the first target and pulled at it to find that it hardly moved at all. He stood back for a moment confused. He had moved them before and while they were very heavy and cumbersome he had been able to do so without straining too much. Wiping sweat from his brow he tried again pulling at the edges of the target with all of his strength. It did come away from the wall mount, but he was unable to sustain his balance as the thing toppled forward landing right on top of him.

As the target fell on him, Merlin instinctively summoned magic to prevent it from crushing him to the ground, but nothing happened. Before he even realized what was happening he lay flat on his back with the heavy target pinning him from his shoulders to his knees firmly to the ground. Once again Merlin summoned magic to lift the target off of himself, but to no avail. The target didn't budge. Cold terror filled Merlin's entire being as he pushed at the target trying in vain to get out from under it.

"Merlin!" Arthur bellowed as he walked quickly into the armory. "What in the hell are you trying to do?" Arthur caught sight of the stark terror on his servant's face, and rushed to his side, easily lifting the target off of the boy. "What happened?"

Merlin scrambled out from underneath as Arthur lifted it looking for all the world as though he were afraid of the man standing over him. Arthur leaned the heavy wooden disk against the wall and said, "How did you manage to get under that target?"

Merlin answered in an unsteady voice. "It wasn't on purpose! It fell on me when I tried to get it down from its mounting." He climbed to his feet, looking almost grey rather than the white that Gaius had noted that morning.

"Merlin you look dreadful, were you hurt? ...I said are you alright? ...Merlin? ...Merlin!"

The fact that his magic wouldn't work was all that Merlin could think about. He wasn't aware of the buzzing he heard in his ears, or the fact that his vision seemed to be narrowing on the edges. Arthur's voice seemed very far away and he paid little attention to it. There was something wrong but Merlin couldn't figure it out. The world had somehow turned upside down and the next thing he realized, he was staring up at the ceiling of the armory with Gaius leaning over him, a concerned looking Arthur standing just behind him. There were several knights and guards standing around in the background. Merlin tried to ask Gaius what he was doing there, but his mouth was so dry the only sound that came out was a strangled sort of squeak.

Annoyed, Merlin tried again. This time, he was relieved to hear his own voice, if a bit feeble. "What happened? What are you doing here, Gaius?" Merlin finally managed as he attempted to sit up.

Gaius placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder helping him to right himself. "You fainted, Merlin. Did you eat your breakfast this morning like I told you to?"

Merlin felt foolish having Gaius speak to him as though he were a child in front of Arthur and the knights. "I finished the broth!" he said a bit petulantly aware that his tone was not helping matters.

Gaius was not dissuaded by Merlin's unspoken objection. "And the bread?"

"Honestly, I wasn't feeling up to bread this morning, Gaius, but I brought it with me for later."

Suddenly Merlin remembered what had happened when the target fell on him and the terror he had felt came rushing back draining any color he had left from his face. This was not lost on either Gaius or Arthur.

"What is it, Merlin?" Gaius wanted to know.

Merlin shot a quick glance up at Arthur and at the people standing around then back at Gaius trying to convey that they needed to speak privately and that it was urgent. "I... I really don't feel well at all."

Gaius seemed to understand what his young ward was trying to tell him and looked up at Arthur. "I think it would be best if he returned to my chambers."

"Of course, I was just coming to tell Merlin that practice will be canceled today seeing as though I now have other matters to attend to."

Arthur reached down to help Merlin to his feet and taking a hold of his hand he exclaimed, "Your hands are as cold as ice!"

As soon as he said that, Arthur remembered what Gaius had said about the individual they were searching for. Taking another look at his servant Arthur noted how pale he was and realized that to have the target fall on him and not be able to move it himself he must be feeling very weak. As Gaius turned to guide Merlin out of the armory Arthur called out. "Stop!" He approached Merlin looking suspiciously at the young man. "Lift up your shirt."

The shock that registered on Merlin's face would have been comical if Arthur hadn't been so serious. "What?"

Arthur looked from Gaius to Merlin and back. "You said it yourself, Gaius. We are looking for someone pale, weak and cold to the touch. Merlin can barely stand, his hands are like ice and he looks grey enough to be a corpse. Now lift up your shirt so that I can see you."

Two of the guards stepped forward to force the issue if Merlin didn't comply, but the young man had no idea what Arthur was talking about and pulled his shirt up to his chin revealing his chest and back - both of which were unmarked in any way.

Gaius and Merlin were allowed to leave the armory and head back to the castle. Once in Gaius' chambers and seated on the bed Merlin dropped his face into his hands.

"Something's wrong, Gaius, terribly, terribly wrong." Gaius sat down next to his young ward, his concern growing as he heard the unabashed fear in the young man's voice. "It's gone, Gaius!"

"What is?" Asked the physician, feeling his concern grow as his nephew became more and more agitated.

Merlin looked up at Gaius, his eyes filled with fear and uncertainty. "My magic. It's gone."

TBC

**A/N:** I know that this chapter was kind of short, but trust me it is the only short chapter in the story. Most of them are easily twice as long.  
I appreciate the reviews - thank you very much. I am glad that you are enjoying the story so far.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Gaius proceeded to perform every examination he could think of on Merlin and found that he was suffering from a sudden onset of anemia without any known cause. There was no doubt in his mind that what Merlin was experiencing was linked to the blood that was found outside the stables, but he was at a loss as to how. Merlin had been working in the stables the previous evening, and now was experiencing every symptom that indicated a large amount of blood loss, with the obvious and extremely enigmatic exception of having some sort of wound to account for it. It could be no mere coincidence. Likewise, Gaius could find no reason for Merlin to have lost his magical powers. The only logical explanation was that it was connected to the blood found outside the stables, but that made even less sense than Merlin suffering from blood loss with no wound.

By the time the court physician had examined and tested Merlin in every conceivable way, the boy had met his limit of endurance. Gaius wanted to question Merlin further but he lain down and simply wouldn't rouse enough to be adequately questioned. Merlin slept on while Gaius searched every text he could find that mentioned dragons and the old magic associated with them. He also looked for any kind of spell that could be cast that would heal a grievous wound without any sign of its prior existence.

As the sun began to lower in the sky, casting a red and orange glow over the castle towers; Gaius gave up his search for a spell or incantation and stretched his weary limbs. The door to Merlin's room stood open and the aging physician stepped over to check on his ward only to find him still sleeping, albeit restlessly. Knowing that Merlin would wake soon, Gaius set about making dinner for the young man and had every intention of making him eat it whether or not he wanted to.

Gaius carefully chose the food he prepared for Merlin opting for dark leafy greens and liver. He was well aware that Merlin might not care for these things but then, he didn't care for medicine either.

As the physician was preparing Merlin's dinner, Arthur knocked at the door and walked in when he got no answer. Gaius was so engrossed in his tasks that he hadn't noticed him enter, but had the grace to not act startled when he turned around to find the Crown Prince of Camelot standing just inside his chambers.

"Did you find anything?" the physician inquired, already knowing the answer he would receive.

"We found no one hiding within the city with serious wounds. The worst wound we found was on Gwen's father, Tom, the blacksmith, and that was superficial at best. I personally spoke with all of the guards at the city gates and no one left during the night with a cart large enough to hide a body and everything else has been searched. Naturally word has gotten out that there was a murder in Camelot which has made the people very nervous and on edge."

"Yes, I can well imagine that it would." Gaius said as he wiped his hands on a towel after handling the food.

"Gaius, you do know that the kitchen can prepare something for you?" Arthur said as he dubiously eyed the liver sitting on a metal plate and set atop one of Gaius' medicine burners sizzling away.

"Oh, this isn't for me, it's for Merlin."

"How is he?" Arthur asked having almost forgotten about the incident that morning in the armory after spending an exhausting day searching all of Camelot.

"He's resting at the moment. I'm afraid that he should not return to his duties for a couple of days. He would be next to useless right now in any case, as weak as he is."

Arthur looked around seeing books and papers out all over the reading table. It was obvious that Gaius had been searching for a remedy for Merlin. "What's wrong with him? Is it an illness?"

Gaius shook his head and sighed deeply. "I know what is wrong, I just can't understand how it happened." Arthur was obviously waiting for some further explanation so Gaius continued. "Merlin is anemic, decidedly so as a matter of fact." Seeing confusion on Arthur's face he elaborated. "Anemia is what happens when someone loses a large amount of blood."

Arthur's eyes opened wide with shock. "But he has no wound! Do you mean to tell me that we have been out all day looking for either a body or an injured man when all this time it was Merlin?"

Gaius raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and shook his head. "I wish I knew. I can find no sign or reason for it to be Merlin's blood on the flagstone in front of the stables. As you said he has no wound. There _are_ other internal injuries that can cause anemia but he has no sign of that either. If a person is bleeding inside from a beating for instance that would cause anemia, but Merlin has not been beaten, at least not to his knowledge, and he bears no bruises or other evidence to suggest it. A poor diet can cause anemia, but that is also not the case as I have seen that he eats properly. That brings me back to the beginning. I have no idea what is causing this."

Arthur looked disconcerted by this news. "Can you do anything for him?"

"I can treat the anemia. At this point that is my only option." Gaius' frustration was clear in his voice and Arthur could see that the court physician was worried.

"Where is he; I have some questions I'd like to ask him?"

"He's sleeping at the moment, but I was planning to wake him shortly so that he could get up and eat something." Gaius said as he took a pair of tongs and peeled the sizzling liver off the plate to turn it over.

Arthur didn't think Merlin would find his meal particularly appetizing and felt rather sorry for his manservant knowing full well that Gaius would stand over him and make him eat the whole thing.

Rather than watch the cooking process any further, Arthur walked over to the short staircase that led up to Merlin's room. He _was_ sleeping, but far from soundly. As Arthur climbed the steps up to Merlin's room he could see him tossing his head back and forth in the throes of some nightmare. Arthur became alarmed when Merlin gasped as though he couldn't breathe and clutched his chest, obviously in excruciating pain. The Prince called out in alarm to Gaius and tried to wake Merlin, who was covered in a cold sweat and was thrashing about.

"Merlin! Wake up, Merlin!"

Whether it was his shaking Merlin, or Gaius stomping up the steps into the room that woke the young man was not clear to Arthur. What _was_ clear was the terrified look in his eyes as he tried desperately to scramble away from the prince's outstretched hands. In his efforts to escape whatever demons plagued Merlin's sleep he fell out of the far side of the bed. Arthur quickly rounded the bed and tried to help the young man to his feet, but Merlin didn't seem to recognize Arthur and scuttled frantically away from him until the stone wall of the chamber stopped his progress. Arthur and Gaius exchanged a bewildered look with each other before Arthur decided to resort to a different tone in the hope of snapping Merlin out of his tormented dream.

"Merlin, you idiot! Get up off the floor before you get sicker!"

That seemed to do the trick. Merlin blinked rapidly as his eyes came into focus. "Arthur? What are you doing here?" was all he could manage to get out, feeling ridiculous for sitting on the floor and not knowing how he got there. Merlin's distress at being found in such a pose was apparent to Arthur, but he chose to simply ignore the fact as he spoke.

"I came here to inform Gaius that I will not be requiring your services for the next few days because I have other matters that I need to attend to. It looks as though you could do with a day off in any case."

Arthur reached down to help Merlin get up while not appearing to pay much attention to his manservant, a feat that only Arthur seemed to be able to pull off. As he righted himself a wave of dizziness washed over Merlin and he staggered precariously, but Arthur had a firm hold on his arm and kept him dropping to the floor. Not wanting to draw attention to Merlin's weakness at the moment, Arthur continued his diatribe, sounding very much like the prat Merlin had taken him for when they first met, but the Prince's voice somehow still held a note of concern for his friend.

"Personally, I would love to able to take a few days off, but as Crown Prince I can not afford such a luxury. If I could switch places with you, Merlin, I would probably enjoy the change."

As Arthur spoke he guided Merlin back to his bed so that he could sit down before he fell over. "You have no idea how much pressure and responsibility I carry around every minute of every day."

At that statement Arthur finally caught Merlin's eye and was stunned to see a deep and genuinely knowing expression on his servant's face. For a moment Arthur was completely convinced that Merlin knew all too well what it felt like to bear a weighty responsibility, and he was equally astonished at Merlin's soft spoken reply.

"You'd be surprised."

This exchange seemed to have sapped Merlin of his strength, and he sank heavily down on the bed as if he were an old man worn out from endless days of toil and hardship. Gaius had wanted to get Merlin up to eat something, but the boy seemed so worn out that he decided a few more minutes of rest wouldn't be amiss. As Arthur and Gaius moved to leave Merlin alone to sleep a little longer, Arthur turned back to his servant. "Get some rest, Merlin."

He was unsure if Merlin even heard him as the young man's eyes slipped closed. Arthur followed Gaius out of Merlin's room closing the door in case Merlin wasn't actually asleep. He wanted to talk to Gaius but he didn't think Merlin should be privy to their conversation.

"He was scared, Gaius."

This pronouncement alarmed Gaius and he shot a glance back toward the closed door. "When?"

"When he opened his eyes, but still dreaming he was frightened; and that isn't the first time I've seen that look in his eye either. Today he was trying to move the target from the armory out to the practice field and it fell on him. When I got there he was pinned underneath it and he looked utterly terrified then as well. I have never seen fear like that in Merlin, not even when he stood up to my father. Is it possible he saw what happened last night, but blocked out the memory of it? That is actually what I was going to ask him about, but he is obviously in no condition to be questioned."

"Anything is possible. If that were the case it would explain the fear. I also wanted to question him further, but as you said, he is in no condition for that right now. I'll keep you informed if I should discover anything."

Gaius sounded more concerned than Arthur had ever heard him. "What can you do for him?"

"I will treat his symptoms; for the moment that is all I can do, until I find the cause of what has affected him this way." The hopelessness in Gaius' expression was more disconcerting than the concern in the old physician's voice. Arthur didn't have any idea what had happened but he was determined to find out. He knew that Merlin's illness had something to do with what had happened at the stables last night, and he meant to find out exactly what that was.

After Arthur left, Gaius went over to the plate with the liver cooking on it and removed it from the fire. Merlin needed rest more than he needed nourishment at the moment. He checked on Merlin and found that he was sleeping peacefully, so he quietly closed his door and moved over to his work bench lifting up papers and moving books until he found what he was looking for. None of his research had been able to shed any light on what was happening to his nephew and Gaius felt that it was high time to get to the bottom of things. Taking the broken tooth and stowing it in a fold of his robes, Gaius left to go down into the bowels of the castle.

The trepidation that Gaius felt the last time he had spoken with the Great Dragon was gone, replaced by grim determination. As he walked down the steps to the huge cavern below Camelot he thought about what he was going to ask. To his surprise the Great Dragon was sitting on the huge rock outcropping near the staircase as if he were waiting for Gaius. This made the old physician's mind up for him as he faced the beast with a torch in his hand.

"Two visits from you within a few months, Gaius? What occasions such a notable advent?"

Gaius was not in the mood to verbally spar with the beast. "So you knew I would come, fine." He reached into his robes and pulled out the tooth. "Do you know what this is?"

If it were possible for a dragon to smirk, Gaius was sure he was doing so at that moment. "That is the tooth of a living dragon."

This was actually a disturbing answer to Gaius. He knew that it was the tooth of a dragon, but the Great Dragon has specified that it was the tooth of a _living_ dragon. "So it belongs to you?"

The Dragon's answer was not what the aging physician had expected. "No, Gaius, I have all of my teeth." the beast replied, baring those same teeth to demonstrate.

Dumbfounded at this bit of information all Gaius could think to ask was, "I thought that you were the last remaining dragon."

The Great Dragon seemed unperturbed by the revelation which had so moved Gaius and answered evenly. "Uther believes that to be true, but he is wrong. Dragons are not unique to Albion and the world is far more vast than Uther will ever know."

This was a perfectly logical explanation and one that Gaius should have realized. There may be no more dragons in Albion, but as the beast had said, the world was a very big place. While this information was an interesting point of fact it still did nothing to help Gaius figure out a way to help Merlin.

"Does the dragon's tooth have something to do with Merlin losing his magical powers?"

Gaius wasn't particularly surprised that the Great Dragon did not react when he mentioned that Merlin had lost his magic. It almost seemed as though the beast knew what had happened.

"Dragons are powerful magical beings, but our magic is not like human magic. It works differently."

"That is not an answer." Gaius answered in a frustrated tone.

"That is the truth." The Great Dragon answered.

Becoming angry with this beast would accomplish nothing so Gaius tried to get to the answers he needed with a different approach. "How does dragon magic work where Merlin is concerned?"

If the Great Dragon's answers had been perplexing before, it was nothing to what he said next. "The dragon who dwells inside of Merlin is, for lack of another description, his mate - in a magical sense. Nimueh may be familiar with our magic, but she does not understand how it works."

Gaius' eyebrows shot up in shocked astonishment. "Nimueh? What has she to do with this?"

There was the almost smirk again. "Nimueh has everything to do with Merlin's condition. She is the reason he lost the ability to use his magic, but she has failed to understand that only one who is pure of heart can use the old magic born in dragon kind. This was Nimueh's mistake, and ultimately it will be her undoing."

It was not lost on Gaius that the Great Dragon said that Merlin had lost the ability to use his magic, implying that this could be a temporary situation. "Will Merlin regain his powers?"

It was a straight forward question and Gaius would have appreciated a straight forward answer but he didn't get it. "Merlin must find his self-worth beyond his magic."

Feeling his frustration boiling over Gaius snapped. "Have you not been listening? Merlin's magic is gone."

The Great Dragon didn't seem to notice the harsh tone that Gaius had used and answered calmly. "It is not_ I _who is not listening. Merlin must prove to himself that _he_ is the legend rather than the magic within him."

With that reply the Great Dragon lifted himself up on his hind legs and flew off, unwilling to carry on any further with the conversation. Gaius held out hope that Merlin's illness was temporary but unfortunately he had no clue as to how to help him. If only he could get a straight answer out of the Great Dragon it would make things so much easier, but when has any dragon ever given a straight answer? Gaius looked up in the direction that the Great Dragon had flown off for another minute before turning to climb the stairs back to the base of the castle feeling bolstered by the hope that Merlin might yet regain his gift.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I wish to thank all of you who have taken the time to review, and I am very pleased to see that this story is being well received.

I wish to remind readers that I live in the US and therefor have only seen season one of this show. NBC (damn them) have apparently decided not to pick up the second season so there are things that many of you may know concerning cannon that I am unaware of. I promise that I will do my very best to keep each character as close to cannon as I can given my limited knowledge of the on going story of these characters.

Once again I am deeply grateful to all readers signed or unsigned who take a few minutes to render feedback. It makes the sometimes endless hours of research and effort worth it.

**Chapter Four**

The next morning found Merlin awake early, having essentially slept for the entire previous day. Much to Gaius' relief, his nephew was also hungry and the physician was quick to prepare a moderate-sized helping of stew for the young man. Normally breakfast would be a porridge or gruel type of grain, but Gaius wanted Merlin to have the iron rich foods that would help him to recover from the anemia so he opted to make the stew instead of the normal breakfast fare. It had the previous night's untouched liver in it, along with carrots, potatoes, tomato chunks and watercress; all foods rich in iron that would help with Merlin's symptoms. Merlin's complexion was still rather pale which accentuated the dark circles under his eyes, but after a full day's sleep the discoloration was less apparent.

Gaius looked almost as rough around the edges as Merlin, having been up most of the night worrying about Nimueh and what role she had played in Merlin's illness, as well as what plans she might have toward Uther, now that Merlin no longer had magical powers to call forth. He remembered all too well how her last foray into Camelot had gone. Raising the wraith of Tristan Dubois to kill Uther was something she had to do in person, and in doing so she had shown that she was willing to venture back into the city. Her new physical appearance was known not only to the royal guard, but most of the royal household staff as well. If she had done something to Merlin while he was at the stables she would have had to pass by the royal guard at every turn to get there; a decidedly risky venture.

Gaius had sat up until the early morning hours breaking the situation down to its verified and logical components:

There had been an incident of violence at the royal stables that resulted in someone suffering a severe blood loss. This was an undeniable fact.

Merlin had been working in the stables the night that this happened; also a fact. Now the boy was suffering all of the symptoms of having been the person who lost the blood found the next morning, a medically proven fact.

But this was where things became less factual and more speculative. If it _was_ Merlin's blood that was found outside the stable doors then where was his wound? There might be magical spells that could heal a wound completely, but it would take a powerful sorcerer or sorceress to perform such an incantation with success.

Nimueh had that kind of power, but if she had injured Merlin gravely enough to kill him, why would she heal him in the next breath; especially given the fact that she had already tried to kill him once before with the poisoned goblet?

Gaius didn't understand that aspect of his speculations so he moved on to another set of evidence within the confines of the puzzle. The Great Dragon told him that the object covered in blood was the tooth of a living dragon, and he implied that it was Nimueh who had wielded it. The finger markings in the dried blood could easily have belonged to her so that was a reasonable assumption to make. The tip of the tooth was missing as were Merlin's powers. Those were facts. It was logical to speculate that the missing tooth fragment was the cause of Merlin losing his powers _if_ the blood on the tooth and the flagstone was indeed Merlin's.

The two sets of facts and speculations fit perfectly together. If Nimueh's intention was not to kill Merlin but to rob him of his powers, it made sense that she used some sort of ritual that entailed her impaling him with the tooth and leaving a piece of it behind to accomplish the task. That speculation would go hand in hand with healing the wound afterward. These theories were all well and good, but the real problem became how the magic worked.

Gaius had searched every text he could lay his hands on, including spending a fair amount of time in the dusty tombs of the library. He tried to find a spell or incantation that would need a part of a living dragon to thwart the ability to use or wield magic but could find no reference at all, even indirectly. None of the old fables even mentioned this kind of magic.

The Great Dragon had said that the old magic born in dragon-kind worked differently than human magic, so there might not be any way for him to discover an answer to that question. That could mean that Nimueh had intended to do one thing and something else actually happened, or it could mean that whatever Nimueh had done would turn back on her. As he tried to puzzle out what The Great Dragon had said to him another thought occurred to Gaius.

Perhaps he had been making an erroneous assumption based on Merlin's illness. He wondered if it was possible that the blood found was not Merlin's at all, but Nimueh's. A dragon's magic is very old and very powerful, but The Great Dragon said that only the pure of heart can use the old magic born in dragon-kind and that Nimueh's lack of understanding of that fact would ultimately be her undoing. He didn't say that the _tooth_ had caused Merlin to lose his powers; he said that _Nimueh_ was the cause of Merlin losing his ability.

What if Nimueh had impaled herself with the tooth, as part of some ancient spell to imbue her with a more powerful magic? Perhaps then she would have had enough power to incant a spell that would rob Merlin of his own magical abilities? Nimueh was far from pure of heart and if she were indeed wielding the old magic stolen from a living dragon it could indeed spell her demise.

He needed to know who was impaled in order to find out what he could do to help Merlin regain what he had lost. He couldn't alert Uther that Nimueh had come to Camelot without also telling him that the information came from The Great Dragon himself. Gaius needed to find proof first before he could go to the King or help Merlin.

Once the young man had finished almost two bowls of stew, Gaius sat down across from him at the small table and waited until Merlin looked up at him. With a questioning expression Merlin said, "What?"

"Merlin, I want you to tell me what happened the other night after you finished working in the stables."

It took a moment for Merlin to respond. He put the spoon down that he was holding and looked up at Gaius almost accusingly. "Nothing happened, Gaius. I came back here and went straight to bed, you said so yourself."

Gaius was clearly not going to let this go. "Yesterday when you woke up, you asked me if I had seen you come in the previous evening, and then you asked me if you looked alright. Why would you ask that if something hadn't happened?"

Merlin remembered the conversation clearly, but he wished he hadn't said anything at all. He felt ridiculous for overreacting to a nightmare the same way he had when he was a small boy and would only calm down in the arms of his mother. He didn't like the fact that he had the same nightmare again and felt just as frightened as he had the first time. Merlin was not accustomed to feeling fear, not like this. He may not be the brave knight that Arthur was, but he also was not the kind of person to back down from people or things. He had even stood up to the King on occasion, although it usually ended with him in the stocks.

Merlin answered Gaius' question with a bit more sarcasm than he intended. "Did I? Let me think. I don't really remember, but then - oh, that's right - I was, after all, half awake so naturally I should remember everything I said to you."

Gaius gave his nephew a stern look. "I could do without the sarcasm, Merlin. I think that there is something that you aren't telling me. You woke up screaming. What did you dream about?"

If Merlin had felt foolish before it was nothing compared to how he felt at the news that he woken up screaming like a little girl. He was painfully aware that he had made a complete fool of himself in front of Arthur yesterday because of this dream, and he was not about to relive it for Gaius. Thinking quickly Merlin came up with what he considered a plausibly frightening nightmare.

"It was the Griffin," he blurted out.

Gaius remembered the Griffin, but he hadn't realized that it had frightened Merlin so. It was true that the beast had nearly killed him and Lancelot had saved his life, but Merlin seemed to take that in stride and then he managed to kill the very same beast.

"The Griffin?"

"Yeah, it makes sense after all. I mean I spent the evening mucking out the stables. Arthur's horse kept nudging me looking for a sweet, and at one point he even stepped on my foot. I was angry at the time and that all mixed together in my subconscious to summon up the Griffin in my dreams. It makes perfect sense." he said, again a little defensively.

Gaius' eyebrows shot up in surprise, not because Merlin had dreamed about the mythological beast but because he had said that he was angry. "Why were you angry?"

Merlin hadn't meant to let that slip. He had been angry with Gaius, but he didn't really want to talk about it. He shook his head and forced a mirthless laugh. "It really doesn't matter anymore."

The forlorn tone that infused each word of Merlin's reply caused the physician to push the issue. "Merlin, please tell me why you were angry."

It was obvious that his uncle wasn't going to drop this line of questioning until he got his answer so Merlin sighed and pushed away from the table almost as though he were trying to put a physical distance between them.

"If you must know... I was angry with you for forbidding me to use magic for a week. I'm not a child, Gaius, even though you insist on treating me like one."

Merlin meant to stop there, but the feelings that had been building for the last few days bubbled over as if of their own accord.

"You ask me if I ate my breakfast in front of Arthur and the other knights like I'm an idiot who doesn't know any better. I'm not an idiot! I make _one_mistake and you punish me as if I do these things on purpose! Don't you think I know what will happen to me if I get caught using magic? Have you forgotten that the first thing I saw when I entered this city was a man having his head lopped off for using it? You didn't think that made an impression on me? I wish you would trust me for once. You know, I didn't actually have to tell you about the close call with Uther, but I did. I mess things up sometimes, I don't always think things through, but I'm not a child, Gaius. I know how to take responsibility for my mistakes."

Merlin rose from the table and turned away from his uncle. "Besides, none of this makes any difference now. With my magic gone, you won't have to worry about me almost getting caught again."

Gaius sat back somewhat stunned by Merlin's diatribe. "Merlin..." Gaius stopped and sighed. "When your mother sent you here to me, I made a promise to her. I told her I would keep you safe. You are my responsibility now, but you are so much more to me than that."

Gaius also rose from the table and walked up behind his nephew placing his hands on the young man's shoulders. "Merlin, I love you like a son, you already know that. If I'm hard on you it's only because I truly care what happens to you. I have never meant to make you feel marginalized. I was so worried when I was brought to you in the armory that I didn't think about embarrassing you when I asked whether or not you had eaten."

Merlin turned and faced Gaius feeling badly for having said anything at all.

"I'm sorry…"

"No, Merlin. I'm the one who's sorry. I know you have a lot on your shoulders and I do trust you to do the right thing; to take responsibility for your mistakes. I guess I sometimes forget what it's like to be young."

* * *

Over the next two days Merlin became increasingly restless while oddly, in juxtaposition, becoming more and more despondent. His energy was almost normal in the morning, and he would pace the floor wanting to go back to his duties for Arthur, or collect medicinal herbs and mushrooms for Gaius, or _anything_ other than to be cooped up in the same room all day long. The frenetic bouts of frenzied pacing only lasted until midday when the early summer heat was at its peak, and then Merlin's stamina would give way to a weighty lethargy that sapped him of the ability or desire to even move. At these times the young man simply sat on his bed staring out the high window in his room at the passing clouds, his short dark hair plastered against his head with sweat.

Gaius' responsibilities as the court physician hadn't changed just because Merlin had come down with this mysterious illness, so he couldn't spend all day with his nephew. While he was out performing his rounds or tending to the ill gentry, Gaius worried about Merlin and what was to become of him.

On the evening of the second day Gaius tried to console Merlin, telling him that he had not given up on finding a way to recover Merlin's powers, but the young man didn't seem to register what had been said. He had no interest in his dinner, but Gaius insisted that Merlin finish as well as take yet another foul smelling and even worse tasting elixir. The young man complied without an argument which, in itself, bothered Gaius even more. Merlin didn't have any fight left in him, no wise-cracking remarks about the food or the medicine he was given to eat and drink. It looked as though he had given up and life was now just a matter of going through the motions.

Merlin's words when he first came to Camelot after Gaius had soundly scolded him for using magic right under Arthur's nose to make him look foolish came back with frightening clarity.

_"If I can't use magic then what have I got? I'm just a nobody, and I always will be. If I can't use magic, I might as well die."_

Gaius had to find a way to try and keep Merlin's mind off of his situation. The fear of what his rash young nephew would do concerned him more than the mysterious symptoms or the loss of his magic. He came to a decision that he hoped would not end up being a terrible mistake.

"Merlin, you are well enough to go back to your duties, at least during the morning and very early afternoon, but I would recommend you return here shortly past midday."

Merlin looked up at his uncle a little surprised by the announcement. He felt a short-lived burst of relief to be allowed to leave the confines of their shared living chambers, but it was quickly replaced with the desolation he had felt over the last two days. Even with his lackluster feeling of being told he could return to work, Merlin went to sleep early that evening and was up earlier than usual the next day. He was looking forward to getting out of the castle even if it only meant crossing the courtyard to the main keep.

Arthur was just waking up when Merlin arrived to get him dressed with the prince's breakfast in tow. When his manservant entered his chambers quietly and set the food down on the table, Arthur sat up in bed shocked to see him there.

"Merlin! I thought you were taking some time off? What are you doing here?"

Arthur could plainly see that what ever was ailing the young man was still an issue.

"Gaius said that I would be able to return to my duties at least during the morning hours. He wants me to return past midday to have me drink some other foul potion and sit around twiddling my thumbs."

Arthur was taken aback by Merlin's tone. He had always been a bit sarcastic but these words were delivered with a bitter tone that was completely uncharacteristic for the young man.

Merlin was perfectly polite and efficient, if a bit slow, at dressing the prince and quietly set about cleaning up the bed chamber while Arthur sat down to eat his breakfast. Watching his servant as he stripped the linens from the bed and pick up yesterday's discarded clothing, Arthur was struck by a strong sense of melancholy that hung around Merlin like a heavy winter cloak.

There were no quips about what a mess Arthur's chambers had become in his brief two day absence, no remarks about the intelligence of the heir-apparent who couldn't manage to dress himself without assistance, or undress himself without tossing everything about like a toddler gone mad on sweets. No sarcastic comments out loud or under his breath about rank bed linens, or filthy socks that could walk down to the royal laundry of their own accord. Merlin had become an unobtrusive, ordinary servant and Arthur hated it.

"Were you this charming sitting up in Gaius' chambers for the last couple of days? It's no wonder he wanted to get you out and working again."

Merlin just looked over at Arthur, and for a moment the prince thought he was about to make some sort of sardonic reply, but instead he simply shrugged his shoulders slightly and went back to his work. It occurred to Arthur that he had finally won an argument with Merlin and he would normally lord that over him, but seeing the desolation in the young man's eyes he held his tongue. After another few minutes of watching his servant's un-Merlin like behavior, Arthur had had enough.

"Merlin, I have patrol today and won't be back for some time. After you're finished here you should probably head back to see Gaius. Drink what ever he tells you to, so that you get better faster. I don't think I can take a polite Merlin for much longer."

Much to Arthur's relief that comment earned him a weak smile and a pillow tossed in his direction. There was a hint of his wise cracking man servant underneath whatever it was that had affected him and that bolstered Arthur's spirits. He decided to seek out Gaius before he left for patrol to inquire about the progress that was being made in helping Merlin.

Arthur turned to leave but stopped and observed Merlin as he gathered up the bed linens. The young man was moving as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Suddenly Arthur was reminded of the look in Merlin's eyes the other day that seemed to say he knew all too well what it felt like to shoulder an immense responsibility. The prince frowned considering what responsibility Merlin could possibly have to worry about? It was madness, yet here was his servant acting like the world was about to end.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Arthur wasn't the only one who found Merlin's meek and deliberate behavior disconcerting. The young warlock was fairly popular with the other royal household staff, and he often spent time joking with the other servants; usually about Arthur. Now that things had changed so dramatically for him, Merlin was quiet and introverted. He quickly tired of being asked if he was alright, if he was feeling well, or enduring questions as to why he was so pale. The third time that someone asked him a question in a similar vein, Merlin snapped, much to the dismay of the young woman who worked in the royal kitchens and rather looked up to Merlin as an idol of sorts; being prince Arthur's personal servant.

Gwen was standing nearby and intervened by making a joke about Merlin having a headache from an over abundance of consumed ale and not to worry about him being grumpy. She tried to act as a buffer between everyone else and Merlin, seeing how uncomfortable the questioning made him feel. But she, too, was worried and curious as to what was wrong with her friend, however rather than asking him directly, she ended up discussing the situation with Morgana later in her chambers.

"He looks so sad, like someone close to him died, or... " Gwen was trying to explain her concerns to the Lady Morgana; somewhat unsuccessfully.

"Or what, Gwen?" Morgana asked earnestly.

"I don't know really. When he doesn't realize anyone is looking at him his eyes are filled with a deep sense of loss. He seems almost hollow inside. He'll smile at you when you talk to him, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes. It's almost like something very bad happened to him and he won't talk about it. It's ridiculous really, I mean what could have happened to him?" she asked rhetorically. "But still my heart aches to see him so miserable."

Morgana understood exactly what Gwen was talking about, but for different reasons. She had dreamed of Merlin and those dreams were both frightening and confusing. In the past when she had dreams that ultimately came true, they were clear, more like visions of events that had yet to pass than actual dreams. The thing that made her 'vision-dreams' stand out were the strong feelings associated with them. The dream she had of Merlin was convoluted, like a distorted nightmare. The scenery changed instantly and even the sequence of events made no sense. The dream was graphic and terrifying, and it had very strong emotions associated with it making her fear that it could come true.

She hadn't had the dream until the night _after_ she found the blood on the flagstone outside the stables which was unsettling. Her dreams had always been about _future_ events. She needed to speak with Gaius about this; not only for Gwen's sake, but for Arthur as well. Morgana and Arthur may have a tremulous relationship at times, but she could always read his emotions. He may never openly admit it, but he was very fond of Merlin, and she could plainly see that he was worried about him, as was she, only Morgana's concern had a deeper source.

* * *

Uther and Arthur rode in silence as they patrolled the western arm of the kingdom. Uther could see that his son was preoccupied, and based on a discussion he had with Morgana he thought he knew what the problem was. He rode up along side of Arthur. "Morgana tells me that your man servant, Merlin, has taken ill"

Arthur sat up straighter in his saddle and looked over at his father. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk about any of this with the king, not only because he actually _was_ concerned about his Merlin, but because of the conversation he had with Gaius when he had gone to see him before he'd left for patrol. Both he and the court physician had come to an unsubstantiated yet very troubling conclusion about what could have caused Merlin's illness.

If it were true that Merlin's illness was the result of magic, Arthur was unsure how his father would react to that information. The king had been willing to let Merlin die after he drank from the poisoned chalice when Bayard had come to Camelot. In fact his father had attempted to make Merlin's death a reality in order to teach Arthur a lesson. Arthur hesitated in his answer as he mulled through what he was willing to disclose about Merlin's condition, but Uther pressed on.

"What is wrong with him; does Gaius know?"

Clearly his father was not going to let the matter drop. "Gaius said that he is a… anemic?" Arthur said trying to remember the unfamiliar word. He was about to explain when Uther interrupted in a surprised tone.

"Wasn't Merlin working in the stables the night before Morgana found the blood pool? Was he the one who was injured?"

At Arthur's stunned expression Uther continued. "I am familiar with anemia having suffered from it after being wounded in battle. Why would you not tell me about this? We still have the royal guard out searching for a body."

Arthur glanced back to make sure that the guard accompanying them were far enough back not to over hear their conversation.

"Merlin has no wound. There is no indication that he is the one who was attacked at the stables, nor has he any memory of being attacked."

Uther was the one who looked confused now. "Does Gaius have an explanation for his anemia?"

Arthur shook his head. "He can find no scientific or medical reason for Merlin's condition and it isn't just the anemia. He is also suffering from some kind of profound melancholy. No one has died and he has suffered no traumatic loss, but he is acting as though…" Arthur trailed off not wanting to complete the thought as he gazed out over the wheat fields they were traveling beside.

Arthur was more than just troubled by his servant's illness. This went deeper. "He is acting as though…?" Uther prompted.

Arthur turned to face to his father and said, "… as though he has nothing to live for." As soon as the words were spoken he had a feeling that by uttering them they had a chance of becoming reality and he shifted uncomfortably in his saddle.

Uther understood why Arthur was concerned. He had experienced great loss in his lifetime and was painfully familiar with how close a person can come to wishing for death to take them, but Merlin was not dead and there were too many coincidences to be ignored. It was time to bring the conversation back to the point.

"If there is no medical or scientific reason for this anemia or the melancholy then what does Gaius believe caused it? Does he suspect sorcery?"

"He can't prove that, but it seems like a viable explanation." Arthur was frustrated that his father could so easily steer the conversation in a direction he didn't want it to go. "It makes no sense! Why would a sorcerer target Merlin?"

Uther suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Merlin as he prepared to fight the wraith of Tristan Dubois. There was a 'bond' between Arthur and his man servant.

"Perhaps it has less to do with Merlin, and more to do with you."

Arthur was clearly confused by this connection and shook his head. "How does attacking Merlin affect me?"

Uther loved his son and had a great deal of pride in him, but there were times that he failed to see the bigger picture.

"Gaius and I have known each other for over twenty years, and I not only respect his opinion, I have come to rely on him and consider him a friend. This is not wholly unlike the relationship you share with Merlin. It is possible that a sorcerer could try to get to you through the bond you share with him, and that is a risk that I am unwilling to take."

The conversation had turned in the direction that Arthur was afraid of, and he turned an accusing eye upon his father. "Meaning what? If Merlin were attacked with or without magic that is no fault of his, and you can not take him to task for it or…"

"Arthur, you are the Crown-Prince of Camelot. Your safety is paramount."

Arthur pulled on the reins and stopped his horse. He was not going to allow his father to try and eliminate a threat to him by eliminating someone who had done nothing wrong.

"Not at the expense of an innocent man's life. What kind of king would I make if I cared so little for the lives of the people whom I rule. Merlin is not a knight and sworn to die in my service. I will not allow you to hurt him because of an unsubstantiated threat to me."

Uther was genuinely taken aback by Arthur's challenge. "I had no intention of harming the boy, but if there is magic being used to get to you we have to be aware of it and take precautions."

Satisfied, for the moment, that his father was not going to try to have Merlin killed, he kicked the flanks of his horse back into motion. The fact that a magical attack against Merlin could be a prelude to an attack against him gave Arthur a slight flutter in his gut. He was a brave warrior and felt he was equal or better in a fight with any foe, but he would have little recourse if he were to be attacked magically, and Arthur's instinct was to deny the possibility.

"What precautions could we take? I just don't see how making Merlin anemic and depressed can be a threat to me."

"You have never dealt with the heart of magic. Magic is evil, Arthur, and a sorcerer can use dubious ways to strike at you. The curfew must remain in place, and you need to take extra care. This may not be the work of a sorcerer, but if it is, I have no doubt that you are in very real danger, and I can not have that."

Uther kicked the flanks of his horse stepping up the pace, feeling a need to get Arthur back inside the relative safety of Camelot.

* * *

Morgana wanted to see Gaius immediately after her discussion with Gwen and went straight to his chambers only to find that the court physician was gone; busy with his own duties, so she resigned herself to wait for him. She stepped out to the upper balcony overlooking the courtyard. It was hot, but thankfully there was a breeze that blew her long dark hair back away from her neck. From her vantage point she could see a fair amount of the city below and she marveled at how life just carried on oblivious to the churning in her heart - so many people living busy lives filled with happiness, or sorrow, but marching ever onward.

As she raised her face to the sun she caught sight of a lone slender figure sitting on the parapet of the east tower and knew it was Merlin. For a moment she had an overwhelming fear that he would lean forward and plummet to the ground, and it caught her off-guard as she grabbed hold of the railing and gasped. Gaius had just walked up the steps that led to the balcony and heard her nearly silent exclamation. He followed her line of sight and he too saw the young man sitting there.

Gaius felt a flutter in his own heart at seeing his nephew sitting so high above the ground in his current state of mind. Merlin may be rash at times, but Gaius honestly didn't believe that he would throw himself from the tower. He still took a moment to watch the lone figure for a moment longer before firmly deciding that he was just sitting there looking out over the city.

"Morgana, what brings you here today?" He asked, as he approached her. When she turned around and looked at Gaius with troubled eyes he stepped closer. "Are you feeling alright, my dear?"

The Lady Morgana was normally so secure in herself, but not when it came to her dreams. They had always frightened her and this newest dream was no exception. Wringing her hands she said, "I need to speak with you." She looked around at the bustling activity all around them before she continued. "…privately."

"What is it? Are you having trouble sleeping again? I could give you a stronger sleeping drought." Gaius spoke, as he preceded her up the curving staircase leading to his chambers.

Once inside and behind closed doors Morgana took a seat on one of the benches near the physician's reading table. "No, I don't think that would be wise."

This surprised Gaius as she had never seemed to question his ministrations before. "Are they making you ill?"

"No, it's just that I think maybe I should stop taking anything until I can understand what I'm dreaming."

Gaius felt a tingle go up his spine. He knew that Morgana had the seers' sight and if she was dreaming again, it didn't bode well for whom ever it was she was dreaming about.

"Perhaps you should tell me about your dream."

Morgana was reluctant to speak of it, which astonished him considering the nature of the other dreams she had no qualms of revealing. "You know that you can trust me, Morgana."

"Yes, I know. It's just that in this dream; Merlin dies."

Fear and consternation shot through Gaius. "Please, Morgana, tell me what you have seen."

"It isn't clear like my other dreams. I thought perhaps it's because of the sleeping potions I have been taking. This dream jumps from place to place and it's disjointed."

Seeing Gaius waiting for her to elaborate with urgency in his expression she plunged ahead. "I see Merlin in a sword fight, in the forest; I see him in the city impaled in his chest, with a woman standing over him; and I see a horribly scarred man talking about someone whom I have never heard of, but, Gaius, it always ends the same; with Merlin's death."

The fear turned to a prickling that raised the hairs on the back of Gaius' neck. "Can you tell me a little more about this dream?" he encouraged her.

"It's all mixed up, Gaius. It starts out in the forest, and Merlin is stabbed during a sword fight, then that horrible man with the scar is there, but Merlin isn't. Then Merlin is falling only he isn't in the forest anymore, but somewhere inside Camelot and the woman is standing over him. She kills him Gaius, I see that very clearly."

Morgana was becoming hysterical and sounded on the verge of tears, and while Gaius was as concerned as Morgana he needed to remain calm. "Morgana, what did this woman look like? Can you describe her?"

"It was that servant girl from Bayard's court; the one who poisoned Arthur's goblet. Gaius, in my dream I see it happen; I see him dead!"

Gaius felt as though his stomach had dropped to his feet. Morgana's visions were seldom wrong, even if this one was convoluted and confusing. The mention of the scarred man was perplexing though.

"Can you tell me what the scarred man looks like and what he says in the dream?"

Morgana looked uncertainly at Gaius. She seemed more reluctant to speak of this part of her dream, which was odd to Gaius. How could seeing this stranger be more disturbing to her than seeing her maid's best friend die? She bowed her head and took a deep breath to steady her frazzled nerves.

"The man is standing in a part of the forest I've never seen. It's really quite lovely – the glade he is standing in. He is wearing a huge black cloak that makes him look like a bear. He has a scar that runs all the way down his face from his forehead through his left eye and down his cheek. He says that Emerys can not be swayed to your will, but I have no idea who Emerys is? It makes no sense."

"When did you have this dream Morgana?"

"I have had the same dream every night since I saw all of that blood at the stables. What does this mean, Gaius? Is this just a nightmare?" Morgan asked, in a pleading voice.

Morgana had described Morthwyl, once lord of the druids, and Emerys was the name the druids used when speaking of Merlin. Gaius had no doubt that Morthwyl had something to do with what had happened, for Morgana's dreams were frighteningly accurate, but what role could the ancient druid have played? If the injury she saw where Merlin lay in the city with Nimueh was a part of Morgana's vision and if it referred to the incident in front of the stables then it was a past event, but a sword fight in the forest would have to be a future event. Morthwyl could be either.

This couldn't be simply a product of Morgana's subconscious; one that incorporated her shock at her gruesome discovery and her concern for Merlin because the girl had no knowledge of the druid. The thought of Merlin engaging in battle outside the walls of Camelot, however, was ludicrous yet there were elements to her story that fit with the recent discovery at the stables.

"Morgana, this is just a dream that encompasses the waking thoughts in your mind. You are worried about Merlin, we all are, and you are still feeling the effects of your discovery at the stables."

Gaius rose to get another sleeping drought for her, but there was a part of him that wanted to know if Morgana was actually seeing the future or the past and what it could all mean. That desire was overridden by the fact that she was still his patient and she needed to be able to rid herself of these dreams. Her very sanity could hang in the balance if her reactions were any indication.

"Here take this before you go to sleep. It should help." he said, as he handed her a new vile from his store of elixirs. "If you have any more dreams about this, please tell me about them. I do believe that they are just that; dreams, but having someone to share them with may very well be therapeutic and help to cease them.

Morgana had already decided that she wouldn't take the potion, but she wasn't about to tell Gaius that, so she took the vial and thanked him before leaving.

* * *

After having spoken to Morgana, Gaius was now completely convinced that Nimueh had done something to Merlin that caused him to lose his magical abilities, but he still did not know how. She was a powerful sorceress with a clear grudge against Merlin for thwarting her plans repeatedly, but none of that explained her failure to act now that Merlin no longer possessed the ability to stop her. He knew that he should bring his suspicions to Uther about her involvement, but he still had no proof of her hand in what had happened, at least not proof that he could disclose to the king.

Uther and the royal guard had returned early from patrol and Gaius was not particularly surprised when he was summoned to the great hall soon afterward. He would need to be very careful in what he said to the king. Loyalty to Uther was of great importance to Gaius, but protecting Merlin and his secret was of far greater significance. As he was ushered into the room he bowed deeply to both Uther and Arthur and said, "Sire, you summoned?"

Uther was a man of action and few words, so he got straight to the point. "I have spoken with Arthur about the situation with Merlin. Do you believe that there is sorcery at work here, and if so to what end?"

Gaius was careful to look Uther straight in the eye as he spoke. "Merlin is suffering from anemia that has no apparent cause, but there is no concrete evidence to support sorcery being used. It is, however, a possible explanation, but to what end remains a mystery. There is only one person whom I can think of who would hold true animosity toward Merlin, and would also have the power to enter Camelot without being seen."

"Are you talking about Nimueh?" Uther wanted to know.

"She has reason to view Merlin as an obstacle, Sire. He has thwarted her plans in the past. He and Arthur went into the cistern tunnels and defeated the afanc that she created to put a scourge on the city, and again when he stopped Arthur from drinking from the chalice that she poisoned and was given to him by Bayard."

Uther wanted to have solid answers not guesses and suppositions. "Was the blood found outside the royal stables, Merlin's?"

"Sire, without evidence of a wound I can not say that the blood found by Morgana was his. I suppose it is possible that Nimueh injured Merlin; it would certainly account for his symptoms, but the lack of either a wound to account for those symptoms or his death by said injury would suggest otherwise."

This was where things made as little sense to Uther as they did to Arthur. "Could she have mortally wounded him and then healed the wound?"

"When I first considered that Nimueh might have a hand in this, I couldn't fathom why she would do such a thing, but I have developed a theory about that. Do you remember the tooth that Arthur found?" At Uther's nod he continued. "The tip of that tooth was broken off; it's missing. This can not be a mere coincidence. While I can find no reference to a spell or incantation that would use the tooth of a dragon to cast an enchantment, I think that it might be possible that is what has occurred."

Uther had begun pacing as he listened to Gaius, and he stopped abruptly turning back to face the court physician.

"Enchantment? You think that she has somehow used the dragon's tooth to enchant the boy? He is very close to Arthur. Perhaps she is planning to use Merlin as a weapon. He cleans Arthur's bed chambers, he dresses him in the mornings, he has closer proximity to him than anyone else."

Both Gaius and Arthur looked at Uther, disturbed by that leap of reasoning. Uther was casting a very unfavorable light on Merlin because he didn't nor couldn't have all of the facts. Gaius jumped in quickly with an alternative explanation.

"While it is possible that Merlin has been enchanted, I find no evidence to support that as a fact. If he has been enchanted in some way I honestly believe it is not in the manner in which you assume. The tooth could be what has caused his malaise. She would want him to suffer for upsetting her plans and, Sire, he _is_ suffering. Her lack of response, the fact that she has not tried to attack you, Arthur, or Camelot since this incident suggests that if she is indeed involved, her plans include Merlin alone."

While what his father said made a certain amount of sense, Arthur found it hard to believe that Merlin could be used as a weapon against him.

"He brought me my breakfast this morning and there was nothing wrong with it. He has been alone with me on two separate occasions since this attack but he has shown no sign or inclination what so ever of trying to harm me or even coerce me into doing anything. If Merlin _was_ the one attacked at the stables, he has shown no signs of being enchanted into doing any harm to anyone. Rather he is acting as though he were broken; lost in some nightmare that he can not wake from."

Uther turned his full attention to Arthur at this revelation. "You think he is living in some sort of nightmare? What do you mean by this?"

Arthur knew he had made an impression and was willing to capitalize on that fact.

"Father you have not seen him. He is afraid, but of what I have no idea, nor does Gaius. I thought that perhaps he had seen what happened at the stables and blocked the memory of it. Gaius thinks that could be a reasonable explanation for the fear I have seen lurking behind his eyes, but he is no threat, to me or to this kingdom. What ever demons he is fighting they are within himself."

Uther was unconvinced. "That may be true, but until we have some solid answers I do not want Merlin anywhere near you, Arthur. It may not be his fault, but he still poses an unacceptable risk to you."

Arthur laughed at that notion. "Merlin? A risk to me? Father, that is ridiculous. He's as weak as a kitten and couldn't hurt a fly, even if he wanted to."

Gaius nodded and spoke up to support what Arthur had said. "This is true, Sire. Merlin barely has enough energy to make it through to midday without needing to rest."

Arthur pressed his point, willing to give his father some assurances in order to bring this to an end.

"If it will make you feel better I can deal with having someone else clean my bed chamber, but to take away his job, just because he may or may not be enchanted would be the final blow to his morale which is already low. Merlin situation does not warrant suspicion. He has been a loyal servant to Camelot and he doesn't deserve to be tossed out like so much rubbish based on a theory. No offense Gaius."

Gaius nodded toward Arthur. "None taken, my Lord."

Arthur was displaying the hardheaded stubbornness that he had rightfully inherited from his father, and he would not allow the king's fear of magic to drive what he considered the final nail into an innocent man's coffin. "In case you had forgotten, father, I am Camelot's champion, and I _am_ capable of taking care of myself."

* * *

Uther paced the great hall after Gaius and Arthur had left feeling frustrated with his son for his stubborn refusal to even consider the risk of having his man servant near him when he could be enchanted. Uther lifted a goblet to his lips not really tasting the wine it held as his thoughts churned restlessly. His concern for Arthur and for Camelot and what could happen should Nimueh decide to strike again sent a cold tingling down his spine despite the late afternoon heat.

Shaking himself of the chill he felt he began pacing again. Though Arthur wouldn't admit it, the bond between his son and his servant was stronger than Uther had realized which unnerved him somewhat. Uther had no doubt that Merlin was a good person and it was obvious that he was absolutely loyal to Arthur, but as he had tried to tell Arthur so many times, the heart of a sorcerer was twisted and evil. This is just such ploy that Nimueh would use to harm Arthur.

A sudden breeze wafting in through the high window made him spin around suddenly and for a moment he thought he saw her standing there smiling at him they way she had done the night before Arthur was to fight the wraith of Tristan Dubois. Uther was angry with himself for jumping at imagined specters even as his thoughts turned back to the nemesis of his heart. Nimueh had said that Arthur was not destined to die at her hands, and she had told Arthur the same thing when he had gone to find the cure for the poison that Merlin drank to keep Arthur from dieing. Perhaps he was allowing his fear of magic to cloud his judgment.

Uther trusted Gaius implicitly when it came to matters of magic and the court physician had assured him that whatever Nimueh may have done to Merlin, he was no threat to Arthur. That is the only reason he had finally relented, and allowed Arthur to keep his servant. Looking once more at the end of the long table where she had stood, taunting him, the anger welled up inside again. He needed to get out of the castle, out of that room where her voice still echoed in his mind.

Uther stepped out onto the main bailey and saw Merlin still sitting atop the parapet of the east tower. The boy had such a profound despair lurking about him that even forty feet below it was almost palpable. Merlin's obvious pain brought back poignant memories for the king of his own despondency after Igraine had died. Merlin, for all of his faults, had proven his loyalty not only to Arthur, but to Camelot, much the way Gaius had always shown him. Coming to a decision that may have surprised some, Uther climbed the stairs leading to the parapet surrounding the tower.

Merlin sat with his knees pulled up against his chest watching an oblivious Camelot passing by; unknowing, uncaring. An almost constant breeze blew his hair back from his forehead while the late afternoon sun began to decend behind the tower casting a warm glow out toward the countryside. Silent tears wet his cheeks as he gazed out over a city that could neither feel nor even understand his pain and loss. The young man was so mired in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Uther standing behind him until the king spoke.

"It is a magnificent view." Uther said, softly.

Merlin was startled to realize that he wasn't alone, wiping at his face with his sleeve, and stood quickly when he heard the king speak. "Your Majesty."

Uther had seen the unfathomable sorrow in Merlin's eyes before the young man averted his face. The king didn't mention it, but continued speaking as though he had not witnessed seeing Merlin's heart laid bare. "I used to come up here when Arthur was just a baby after his mother died, but I couldn't see the beauty in the world looking back at me."

Merlin stared out over the city understanding exactly what the king meant, for he saw no allure in the view as he once had.

"I do not pretend to understand what causes your melancholy; I can only offer you the knowledge that with time it will ease."

Uther didn't really know if that statement was true, but he hoped it to be so. Merlin looked back at Uther wondering what had prompted the king of Camelot to try and console a mere servant. Uther almost seemed to read his mind.

"You have been a loyal servant and friend to Arthur, and I believe he's worried about you."

Then Uther did something that Merlin would never forget. He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder in a fatherly gesture and said, "Camelot is a truly remarkable place, and if you allow it, she will begin to heal your broken heart." Then the king turned his face back into the breeze looking out over his city. "It has been too long since I gazed upon Camelot from this perspective."

The king said nothing else; standing in companionable silence with the young servant beside him. Once the initial feeling of awkwardness of having Uther, whom he had always considered to be somewhat ruthless, come and offer him a kind word, Merlin looked out over the landscape trying to appreciate it's grandeur.

After a time Uther turned and left the young man to his own thoughts, but once more Merlin was so embroiled in his own inner turmoil he barely noticed the king's departure. Merlin finally began to understand why Gaius was devoted to Uther. There was a man underneath the hard outer surface that he presented to the world. For the first time in his life, Merlin got a glimpse of the man behind the king and wondered if he was now destined to end up jaded and hard the way Uther was.  
TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I noticed something rather odd with the last chapter I posted. The story stats dropped sharply. I obviously did something that the readers didn't like with chapter five, but I don't know what. I am wondering if that is because the chapter was too long. If that is the case, unfortunately this chapter is also quite long, but there really wasn't a good place to split it up evenly. Any feedback in that regard would be appreciated.

In any event, here is chapter six. I hope you like this chapter better.  
Alice I

**Chapter Six **

The first glow of the early morning light found Merlin up and dressed, having once again had his sleep disturbed by the same nightmare. Much to his relief, this time he hadn't cried out, disturbing Gaius, and he was finding that he was able to shake the feeling of fear that always accompanied the dream more easily. He assumed that he was simply getting used to having the same images running through his mind, and without any conscious thought he raised his hand to his chest to a wound that wasn't there.

It was far too early to go and wake up Arthur, so Merlin left quietly and headed to the east tower parapet to watch the sun rise. As the fiery globe began to crest the horizon Merlin wondered why he had never taken the time to do this in the past. It was peaceful standing so far above the city looking out over the countryside. He could understand why Uther used to come to this spot after the loss of his wife. Somehow the beauty displayed before him made the loss of his magic seem a little less lonely, but he had no idea why he should feel that way.

He heard soft footsteps behind him and turned to see Gwen. She didn't say anything but her expression held a mixture of concern and curiosity as she stepped up beside him and stared up into his eyes. "You're up early." was all she said.

Somehow that simple statement held a much deeper meaning. Merlin had never been much of a morning person and his being up and out at this hour just seemed to accentuate how much he had changed over the past few days. Her eyes held concern for him and empathy for whatever it was that had taken such a heavy toll on his disposition. Merlin didn't know what to say so he just nodded and looked back out at the horizon.

"What's wrong, Merlin? I mean, I know you have been ill the past several days, but it's more than that... isn't it?"

There was no real way that Merlin could answer her. His whole world had fallen apart in the blink of an eye. Losing his magic was akin to someone losing their sight or their hearing. He felt alone and closed off from the rest of the world. The thing that made him whole - the thing that made him Merlin, was now gone. He was nothing more than an empty shell, but how could he tell Guinevere that?

"Yes, it's more than that, but I can't really describe what it is." Merlin answered, without looking at her. He was surprised when he felt her small hand touch the side of his face and turn his head so that he was looking at her.

"Try."

Her voice was so earnest and her eyes so full of worry for him that he couldn't avoid her question. "It's hard to explain, Gwen. I don't really matter anymore. I feel like something is missing inside of me - right now I feel empty. I look out at the world and even though it's beautiful, it's flat - sort of colorless. I know it makes no sense, but that's how I feel."

Gwen heard the hollowness in Merlin's voice as he spoke and her heart broke for him. She knew that he had some sort of illness that had no explanation, but she didn't really know what it was. She knew that Arthur was worried about him even though he would never openly admit to it. She had overheard the prince talking to Morgana and while she didn't catch the details of the conversation she knew that somehow the blood that Morgana had found outside the stables four days ago was in some way connected to what was happening with Merlin. There really wasn't anything she could do for him, but he was so forlorn that rather spontaneously she reached up and hugged him.

It took a moment for Merlin to respond and wrap his arms around her in return, but when he did he felt as though some of the weight of his depression lifted from his heart. The gesture was one of unconditional friendship and care which had it's own healing effects. Before he realized it, he was holding her tightly as the first rays of the sun washed over the pair standing atop the tower looking out over Camelot.

* * *

The sleeping drought given to her by Gaius sat untouched on Morgana's dressing table as she tossed restlessly, trapped within the nightmare she had envisioned over the last four nights. The images were clearer and more frightening than they had been before.

Merlin was walking through the forest when he heard a cry for help. He ran toward the voice but it was somewhere off in the distance. A horse's whinny sounded through the trees followed by a scream of pain. Merlin began to run faster, his breath coming in gasps as he tried to weave his way through the trees. An eagle overhead gave a piercing cry but could not be seen through the dense canopy of branches and leaves above.

She didn't see where he had gotten it, but Merlin suddenly had a sword in his hand. His face didn't show fear. The set of his jaw spoke of anger and his eyes smoldered, holding a stubborn determination. He raised the sword over his head but his elbow hit something hard. Confusion and surprise took the place of resolve on his face and when he turned to see what it was he had hit the man he was fighting pierced his side with a sword.

The dream shifted.

She saw a huge man with a scar that extended from his forehead down to his cheek standing in a forest glade dappled with the morning sunlight. His nearly black eyes were frightening and his voice was deep and powerful.

"You can not sway Emerys to your will." he said, in a commanding voice that seemed to reverberate through the trees.

The dream shifted.

She saw Merlin, bare chested and covered in sweat and grime. His eyes mirrored shock and pain. He looked down, but rather than seeing a wound in his side he saw a hand holding something white as it pierce his chest. The pain in his eyes turned to cold terror as he looked at the woman who was standing in front of him with a vicious smile twisting her lips. She looked up at him with eyes so blue they were breathtaking, yet hard and cruel at the same time.

Merlin's blood flowed freely from the wound and he tried to grab the object, but she twisted her hand and shoved the implement of his demise inward and up - hard. He groped at his chest trying to pull the thing out but it had broken off leaving a part of it embedded inside of him; with only a gaping wound to show for it.

Merlin's knees buckled and he dropped to the ground, now staring up into the eyes of his murderer. She raised her hand to his chest and spoke words that held some ancient meaning as a soft green glow formed between them.

"Draca gebindan mid heorte binnan wunian; gehealdan gebindan se scinnlac binnan"

Merlin fell slowly, almost gracefully onto the cold flagstone as the woman stood over him her bloody hand stretched out over the dieing man and repeated the arcane spell.

Merlin began to gasp for breath in vain, his hands clutching at the wound in his chest trying to stem the flow of blood, as he rolled to his side. The pain in Merlin's face became unbearable as he closed his eyes against a torrent of agony. She heard the woman laugh down at Merlin as he lay gasping for air while his life flowed out onto the cold hard ground. When he opened his eyes again, Merlin face registered shock. He tried to speak but no voice would pass from his lips. He formed one soundless word - 'Run!'. His eyes lost focus and his face became slack as his life ended in a pool of blood, and terror, and pain.

Morgana had always awakened screaming at this point in the dream, but some part of her subconscious mind needed to see further and while she moaned and tossed in her bed the vision continued. The woman who had murdered Merlin stepped over to his lifeless body hooking her foot under his shoulder and kicked him over onto his back. His sightless eyes stared up into the night sky as she once again reached out her hand and recited a different incantation.

"Halian bes inwindlemm."

This time a blue light shot from her hand down to his chest which exploded in a shower of sparks and Merlin's body arched up off of the ground alive and writhing in unimaginable agony as the wound his in chest began to close and heal of it's own accord. Once the light faded away into darkness the young man lay still on the ground not moving at all, but drawing one ragged breath after another.

"Get up Merlin." the woman commanded, and after a moment he rolled and stood on wobbly legs.

She walked over to the ground where Merlin's tunic had dropped from his hands when she first stabbed him, and picked it up. She waved her hand in his direction and the blood covering his hands and chest vanished as though it had never been there. She stepped directly up to him and handed him the tunic. Merlin was moving as though he were in some sort of trance. He obediently put the tunic on then stood there as if waiting for further instructions.

"Witornsacan eower gemynd nihthelm" she said, aloud.

Merlin only stood still his features immobile, his eyes deadened in a catatonic stare. His face showed no emotion; he didn't even blink. He looked like someone who could have been sleep-walking, unaware of his surroundings; seeing only what his mind had conjured up. The woman looked at him, now dressed in his clean tunic without so much as an inkling that anything untoward had happened. As she walked around him in a circle she traced her finger along his shoulders and chest smiling with a satisfied look on her face. She stopped when she was directly in front of him and leaned in closely as she whispered the words she had last spoken a second time in his ear. When she stood back to see his face for a flicker of a moment his eyes came into sharp focus and stared directly into her cold blue ones with a furious and piercing intensity. Morgana felt a bolt of shear panic and she woke suddenly panting.

* * *

Merlin was still earlier than usual when he arrived at Arthur's chambers and so was surprised to find the prince up and dressed already. Merlin set the tray with Arthur's breakfast down on the table and stepped over to the window. "You're up early. Anything special going on today?"

Merlin's color looked a little better this morning and he seemed a little less despondent, but this unnatural politeness was seriously starting to get on the prince's nerves. He looked at the tray of food that Merlin had brought for him, and his father's admonishment that he be careful around Merlin because he could be enchanted echoed through his mind. He honestly believed that Merlin could do him no harm, and he refused to be swayed by his father's concerns as he purposely took a bite from the muffin set out next to fresh cut strawberries. Merlin stood quietly waiting for something, and Arthur realized he hadn't answered the question Merlin had asked.

"It'll be sword practice today."

Arthur knew that Merlin would rather muck out the stables than endure hours of sparring practice with the best fighter in Camelot, so when his normally sarcastic and outspoken servant simply nodded and set about cleaning up the bed chamber, Arthur's determination was re-doubled. He would get a reaction out of Merlin today no matter how long it took. This acquiescent Merlin had to go. Arthur actually missed the verbal sparing matches he used to have with his man servant.

When they arrived at the armory nearly an hour later, Merlin reached for the armor but stopped at Arthur's voice.

"No armor today." Arthur announced as he reached for two of the training staffs.

Merlin turned to look at the young prince with a confused frown on his face. Arthur simply stared back at him, then tossed one of the wooden staffs at Merlin who caught it a bit clumsily. Then the prince picked out two wooden training swords as he continued to speak.

"This will be a review of the basics; thrust, parry, block and stances."

Merlin still didn't understand what Arthur meant. "The basics? Why do you want to practice stances and blocks and that other stuff you said? You already know all that in your sleep."

Arthur's smile was as broad as his sword. "Yes, but you don't."

Now Merlin was completely flummoxed. "Me?"

Arthur walked past Merlin speaking over his shoulder as he went. "Don't be such an idiot, Merlin. How am I to spare with you if you don't know the first thing about protecting yourself?"

Shaking his head, and resigned to what he considered an exercise in futility, Merlin followed Arthur out onto the practice field. It was still early enough that no one else was out, and they had the entire field to themselves. Once Arthur reached the center of the field, he dropped the practice swords off to the side and turned abruptly to face Merlin who instinctively stepped back a pace looking a bit unsure of the situation.

"Are you going to hit me with that?" he asked, a little nervously.

"Not if you block me." Arthur responded as he swung the staff up in an arch and brought it down toward the top of Merlin's head.

The young man hadn't gotten a good grip on his own staff and when he automatically brought it up to parry Arthur's blow the two staffs met with a resounding '_thwack_' that reverberated all the way down Merlin's arms and into his shoulders before his staff dropped from his hands allowing it to crack him on the top of the head.

"Ow! I wasn't ready!" Merlin cried out, indignantly.

Arthur paced slightly as he twirled his own staff. "Do you think that an enemy trying to kill you is going to care? You must always be ready. Now pick up your staff and let's go again."

Merlin bent to pick up the dropped weapon as he rubbed the top of his head with his other hand, grumbling under his breath. "If you're gonna keep hitting me, I should have a helmet."

As Arthur began to circle Merlin like a predator he taunted him. "What's the matter, Merlin? You worried I might scramble that little brain of yours?"

Merlin made sure he had a firm grip on the staff when he stood back up facing Arthur. This time he was ready, and fended off the overhead blow without losing his weapon, but only just. After raising his staff in the air over his head to prevent Arthur from cracking his skull a second time, Merlin didn't lower his arms, not really knowing what was expected of him next. Arthur took advantage of the opportunity by rotating his staff with his upper body as he brought the end down and smacked Merlin soundly on the hip while the young man still held his staff above his head.

"OW!" Merlin said with more force. "You _do_ realize that I've never done this, right?"

Arthur was pleased to see some emotion creeping into Merlin's voice. He was starting to sound more like the Merlin that Arthur knew. "You must do more than just block. Watch your opponent, step back out of range after a parry or strike. Better still would be to turn a block _into_ a strike."

Merlin was getting frustrated. His hip smarted and he would have a welt there later. "How am I supposed to do that?"

Arthur smiled. "Strike at me."

Merlin obediently swung his staff over his head and down toward Arthur's head wondering briefly if the prince was even going to try to block the blow, as he stood almost relaxed while the descending weapon came closer. If Merlin hadn't known better, he might have suspected the use of magic. Arthur moved so fast that it was almost hard for the eye to follow. He brought his staff up in both hands and not only blocked Merlin's blow, but hit the descending staff with such force that the thing nearly flew out of Merlin's hands. Then as quick as lightning, Arthur brought one end of his staff down and to the side whacking Merlin first on the left upper arm, then changing the position of the staff he hit him again on the right arm.

The clear and calculating side of Merlin's mind could plainly see what Arthur was showing him and could appreciate the value of the lesson, but the much stronger and currently active side of his mind didn't like getting smacked around in the process of this learning curve and the young man was starting to get angry. Without waiting to see what Arthur had in mind next, Merlin held his staff tightly and brought the side down that was opposite to the one Arthur had last connected with. Arthur met the blow easily. Merlin didn't stop there. He was determined at this point to get a hit in on Arthur, and he advanced swinging his staff as he tried to hit Arthur while the prince met him blow for blow. Merlin changed tactics and brought his left arm back while using his right hand as a guide and thrust the staff forward like a javelin trying to hit Arthur in the chest. Arthur twisted his body so that the end of the staff slid past his chest but he did so with a much more impressed look on his face than Merlin had ever seen there before.

"Take a look at your feet, Merlin." Arthur instructed.

Merlin froze and looked down. His right foot was forward and his knee was slightly bent while his left foot was behind. It looked like he was lunging forward.

"Yeah, so?" Merlin said, not sure what he was supposed to be seeing.

"You've over extended yourself forward and your feet are in line with each other putting you off balance."

Merlin was panting from the exertion of trying to land a hit on Arthur and he didn't see why his feet were placed so terribly badly. "I'm still standing aren't I?"

In response Arthur simply reached out and pushed lightly on Merlin's rear shoulder and he toppled over easily. Merlin tried to keep from falling on his backside cart wheeling his arms wildly and Arthur had to dodge quickly to keep from being soundly hit with the staff in Merlin's hands as he fell. Merlin looked up at Arthur not sure if he was angry or about to laugh. Arthur reached down to offer the young man a hand up seeing the mix of frustration and humor in his face.

"That was actually not a bad effort, Merlin. I may just make a sparring partner out of you yet." Arthur pulled Merlin to his feet and took both staffs, tossing them aside. "Let's talk about stances. Do you know why you fell over so easily?"

Merlin may not have much skill in the art of fighting, but his mind was just as keen as Arthur's if not more so when it came to logic. "My feet were in a straight line?"

"That's right. You have a naturally long stance but what you need to do is make it wider. Try to keep your feet at least shoulder width apart from side to side. That will give you a much stronger base. Lunge forward like you did a moment ago."

Merlin complied but this time he tried to get his feet further apart. The unfamiliar movement ended up in him spreading his feet farther apart from front to back rather than side to side.

"Don't make your stance longer, make it wider."

Merlin pulled his lead foot back and adjusted his rear foot to take it out by another inch. He had to admit that this felt more secure. Arthur was ready to test that when he pushed again on the young man's shoulder. This time Merlin was able to stay upright and as Arthur pushed at him harder Merlin responded in kind and ended up using his shoulder as a weapon and landed a fleshy thud on Arthur's upper arm.

"That's more like it. Now you're starting to get it. Okay there are three basic stances I want to show you, Merlin. The first one is actually called a basic stance." Arthur reached down and grabbed up the wooden practice swords and tossed one to Merlin. "You start with your feet about the same distance apart as your shoulders from left to right. You're holding your sword in your right hand to fight so move that leg a little bit forward." Merlin complied and Arthur said, "Now bend your knees a little. That is your basic stance. You have a solid base to work with. You keep your knees bent slightly to give you bounce and maneuverability."

Merlin tried bouncing a little but felt awkward as his feet left the ground.

"No, not like that. Get up on the balls of your feet. Now just bounce slightly like this." Arthur demonstrated.

Merlin tried again and seemed more in control but he still felt clumsy with the unfamiliar movement. "I feel like there should be music or something."

Arthur had to smile at that, but he kept right on bouncing to demonstrate the necessity of being light on your feet and have the ability to switch your foot position quickly and smoothly. After another minute Merlin started to get into a rhythm and was able to match Arthur's movement. Once he looked pretty comfortable, Arthur began to twist his hips from side to side changing the direction of his feet within the rhythm of the bouncing. Merlin copied the movement and after a couple of quick adjustments was now following Arthur, movement for movement.

"Good, Merlin now stop here." Arthur said when he had twisted his hips to the left so that he was in a defensive stance with his sword arm's shoulder toward his opponent. Arthur's body was turned so that he was no longer directly facing Merlin. His lead leg was forward with both feet still shoulder width apart. His lead leg was straight while his back leg was bent slightly. He held his sword with both hands; his sword hand above the other.

Merlin was able to quickly mimic the stance from his bouncing exercise and smiled broadly back at Arthur, who corrected him slightly as to how he was holding the sword.

"That's pretty good, Merlin, but you want to pull your hands back toward the back hip. Make the sword go at a diagonal that puts the tip of the sword in front of the lead shoulder. This is called a defensive stance and is a very good stance for protecting yourself as you are ready to block most attacks." Arthur explained.

By the time Arthur had gone through a defensive stance, an offensive stance and shift and the basic stance again with Merlin the young man was concentrating so hard on the position of his feet that he had failed to look up at his opponent. Arthur quickly taught him not to do that as he used the other practice sword and easily swung under the sword Merlin was holding and got in a hit along his ribs.

"Now that you know what to do with your stances, you must keep an eye on your opponent. Use the sword and your height to your advantage. Go ahead and swing the sword at me."

Merlin, his side stinging from that last hit, had no problem trying to swing at Arthur and he raised the sword over his head and came down with a diagonal slashing motion. Arthur's sword met his in the middle of his downward arch and the blades met with a solid crack of wood on wood. Arthur shifted forward by straightening his rear leg and Merlin's blade slid down the length of Arthur's until it stopped at the cross guard on the hilt of the sword. Arthur then twisted his hand toward his opponent bringing the flat side of his sword against Merlin's as he stepped smoothly to the outside bringing the cutting surface of his sword into direct contact with Merlin's neck. Arthur then stepped back drawing his sword back with him in one smooth motion.

"You are now bleeding out from a fatal wound to the neck. The crossbar can be used as a trap to either disarm your opponent or to trap his blade allowing you to slice across the neck."

Merlin was duly impressed and asked, "How do I disarm my opponent?"

"You're not quite ready for that yet. Let's stick with the basics of parry and thrust."

After nearly two hours in the hot morning sun working on these techniques, Merlin was starting to lose the ability to even hold the practice sword or staff properly as his energy began to wane. Even a brief burst of energy after finally not only landing a solid hit to Arthur's neck, but in the process disarming him didn't last very long as the young man grew more pale and fatigued. Arthur called a halt to the lesson to allow Merlin to sit for a few minutes and rest.

"Oh sure, now that I am starting to hit back, you decide it's time for a rest." Merlin quipped sounding more like himself than he had in days.

In truth, if Arthur hadn't called a halt to the lesson Merlin would have had to himself as he felt the last of his meager energy drain away with the increased physical activity. Merlin actually felt pretty good about himself even though he was tired enough to sleep for a week. He had never been one to fight, not having the slightest idea how to go about doing so with any sort of proficiency, but Arthur's lesson had given him a little more of a sense of self confidence, at least where defending himself was concerned. Merlin knew that no matter how often he trained with Arthur he would never really be a good fighter, it just wasn't in his nature, but he appreciated the value of being able to at least fend off an attacker if he ever needed to, especially now that his magic was gone. He was beginning to realize how much he relied on magic just to live his normal life and wondered rather morosely how he would ever get used to being without it. He tried to think of people like Arthur, Gwen, and Gaius who lived everyday without magic to help them along, and the fact that they lived perfectly happy and fulfilling lives.

"What are you thinking about?" Arthur asked, as he watched Merlin's expressions change from content, to pensive to speculative.

Merlin looked up at the prince but rather than answer his question he leand to the left looking past him at the approaching royal guard. "They look serious, what do you suppose they want?" he asked, as he got up from the ground.

Arthur spun around and was instantly on alert as two guards approached at a trot. Both stopped a few feet from the two young men and one of them announced, "Sire, your presence is required immediately in the throne room."

Arthur tossed the practice sword he was still holding off to the side. "What has happened?"

The second guard was younger and probably should not have spoken in front of Merlin, but the court was all whispering about the witness to the events at the royal stables that had come forward. "A witness to the... "

The man stopped speaking when his companion hit his shoulder as he looked at Merlin. "Sire it is true that a witness to the event of four nights ago has come forward. The King wants you present to hear her account."

Merlin was frowning in confusion. He had heard of nothing odd happening recently although admittedly he had been lost in his own troubles of late. "What's going on Arthur?" he asked as he stepped over to the prince.

Arthur had a sinking feeling about all of this. "Merlin, we'll have to pick this up some other time. Take the swords and staffs back to the armory, then you should head back to Gaius' chambers. You look as though you could do with a bit of rest."

Merlin didn't like the sound of this, something was going on and it involved Arthur. He may not have magic to call on any more, but he was still responsible for Arthur's safety even if only he and Gaius were aware of it. "A witness has come forward? A witness to what?" he pressed.

Arthur shot a withering look at the younger guard who had the decency to look abashed before turned back to Merlin. "It is not for you to question me, now go and do as I say."

Merlin stepped back as Arthur spoke, surprised by the vehemence in his voice. Something serious was going on and Arthur wouldn't talk about it, at least not in front of the royal guard. "Yes, Sire." he answered, as he picked up the swords and staffs. Arthur may not want to talk, but he knew how to get information for himself. It was time to pay a visit to the rest of the royal household servants. They knew everything that was happening inside of Camelot and were often times better informed than most of the gentry.

* * *

When Arthur arrived at the castle he found the king and Morgana standing alone in the throne room with a middle aged woman and a young girl not more than sixteen or seventeen years old, and judging by their resemblance to each other Arthur assumed that they were mother and daughter. The mother had a cautious look about her and hovered next to her daughter in a decidedly protective manner. The girl looked utterly terrified and ready to bolt. The only other people in the room were the two guards stationed by the door and they were naturally sworn to secrecy about anything they may hear in this room.

Uther nodded to Arthur as he entered and as soon as the doors closed behind him he motioned to the women standing there.

"Arthur, it seems that we have a witness to the events at the royal stables a few nights ago. Perhaps now we can find out the mystery of Morgana's discovery and put this behind us."

Morgana stepped over to the women and nodded to the mother who wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulders before she began to speak.

"My name is Emeline and this is my daughter Ayleth. I have requested to speak privately to only the royal family out of fear of retribution."

Uther sat forward in his throne obviously concerned by what he was hearing. "Retribution from whom?"

Emeline looked directly at the king, "From the sorceress that my daughter saw four nights ago in front of the royal stables. If Ayleth is discovered, I have no way to protect her from a magical retaliation for telling you what she saw. The fewer people who know of Ayleth and what she says here today the safer she will be. I humbly ask for protection for my daughter, Your Majesty, before I will allow her to speak."

Uther looked at the young girl and could see how terrified she was, but he needed to know what she had seen. "I promise you that I will do everything in my power to protect both you and your daughter. Now please tell us what you saw."

Ayleth looked down for a moment then up at her mother with pleading eyes. Emeline nodded encouragingly to Ayleth and after a moment she turned back to Uther.

"Sire, if you please, I had gone to the royal stables that night to meet someone. He is a servant in the royal household and we have become... friends." Ayleth looked back at her mother with a very guilty look on her face.

"What is the name of this servant?" Uther asked.

Ayleth seemed to wither on the spot wishing that she did not have to reveal this information, but the king had asked a direct question and she had no choice but to answer him. "His name is Rowan, he works in the kitchens. We met when he would come into the market place to purchase stores for the kitchen."

Arthur exchanged a look with Uther clearly not knowing who this Rowan was, but then again Arthur was not exactly on a first name basis with most of the servant staff. He looked at the girl who seemed ready to faint from nerves and tried to ease her mind by smiling warmly at her. "Did you meet with Rowan?"

Arthur was an extremely handsome young man and Ayleth was caught off guard by his smile, almost not hearing his question. An odd feeling of guilt seemed to wash over her for a moment and she blushed furiously.

"Uh... no, Sire, Rowan never came. I thought perhaps he had forgotten that we were to meet. I was about to leave when I heard a voice from inside the stables. I was curious, thinking that Rowan had gone inside. I crept over to the door and looked in, but it wasn't Rowan I saw. It was another servant who had just finished cleaning out one of the stalls. He was talking to the horses. He was telling the horse that he didn't have any sweets for him. The horse tossed his head and sneezed on him. He just raised his hands up in the air and laughed. He told the horse that at least he had taken off his shirt since he didn't have the time or energy to wash his last clean shirt after cleaning every scrap of someone else's laundry, and polishing his armor, and cleaning up his chambers, and...."

Arthur frowned knowing that she was talking about Merlin. He didn't think that he had given his servant more work than he should have been able to handle, but felt a little guilty all the same. "I think we get the picture, thanks."

"He was funny so I watched him for a bit. Then he reached for his his shirt and turned to leave the stables. I didn't want be seen so I backed up and hid behind the door. I decided to wait for him to leave and then I would go home, but that was when she came."

The whimsical smile that Ayleth had when she was talking about Merlin left and the terror returned to her face.

"Who came?" Uther prompted urgently.

"A woman; she had long black hair and eyes so blue they looked to be made of crystal. He didn't see her because she stood off in the shadows, but as soon as he passed by me and stepped outside the stable doors, she came out of the shadows and walked soundlessly up to him with something in her hand. She..."

Ayleth stopped as tears sprang to her eyes. "It was so horrible, Sire. She stabbed him in the chest with whatever she was holding. I almost cried out, but I put my hand over my mouth. She had such a cruel smile. I don't know what she had in her hand but she twisted it and it broke off and he fell to his knees trying to cover the wound in his chest. He was gasping for breath and she just smiled down at him."

Ayleth was openly weeping now, but she continued on with her story through her sobs. "She raised her hand then and spoke in a language I have never heard. A green light formed over him as she spoke and I realized that she was a sorceress. I was so terrified. The servant fell to his back still trying to cover his chest. He rolled away from her and he saw me through the crack as I hid behind the door. He tried to speak but no sound came out."

"What did he try to say?" Morgana asked

Ayleth was so distraught that it took her a moment to collect herself enough to answer. "He said 'run' and then he died; his lifeless eyes still staring right at me. I couldn't move, I was paralyzed with fear, but when that sorceress walked around him and kicked him with her foot her back was turned to me and I did, Sire, I ran and didn't stop until I was home."

Ayleth covered her face with her hands crying uncontrollably. Her mother gathered the distraught girl into her arms but looked at Uther. "She wouldn't speak for days after that, Sire. I am sorry that it took her so long to finally come forward, but I had no idea what she had seen. When Ayleth told me of the sorceress I knew we had to come forward."

Uther knew that the servant that this peasant girl had seen should have been Merlin because he was working in the stables that night, but he still needed confirmation. He looked at the guards and motioned one of them to his side where he spoke quietly. "Go and fetch the court physician and Merlin, Arthur's man servant."

The guard nodded and left immediately and Uther turned his attention back to the mother and daughter who was still weeping although it sounded as though she were getting herself under control a little bit. "Ayleth, can you describe the servant you saw working in the stables?"

It took her another moment to try and gather herself together. "Yes, Sire. He was sort of tall, slender, and he had short dark hair and blue eyes."

It was a very basic description but Arthur knew that she was describing Merlin.

* * *

Merlin took longer than he expected to put the training equipment away. He actually had to sit down in the armory for awhile as a strong wave of dizziness washed over him. He most unexpectedly enjoyed the session with Arthur, but it had left him fatigued. By the time he made his way back to the castle and headed for the kitchens to get caught up on the gossip he was intercepted by one of the royal guard.

"You are Merlin, Price Arthur's man servant?"

Merlin looked a bit surprised but nodded.

"You must come with me. The king has summoned you."

Merlin was now thoroughly shocked. What could Uther want with him. He had a slight flutter in his gut and he tried frantically to remember if he had done anything that would warrant him being tossed into the stocks again. As they approached the main keep another guard was escorting Gaius in the same direction. They met at the base of the stairs leading to the main keep and Gaius out of habit more than anything else looked at his nephew and said, "What have you done now, Merlin?"

"Nothing!" Merlin answered indignantly. "Honestly, Gaius, I've no idea what this is about."

Both the court physician and his ward were ushered into the throne room where their attention was immediately pulled to the sight of the girl weeping quietly into her mother's arms. The girl looked up at the sound of the new arrivals and when she locked eyes with Merlin she screamed and fainted. Gaius rushed to her aide instantly as Merlin looked on shocked at the reaction this girl had shown upon seeing him. He looked directly at Arthur and asked, "What's going on?"

Arthur didn't like where things were going and he was now concerned for Merlin judging by the dark look that his father was casting in his direction. "She is a witness to a murder that happened four nights ago."

"Murder? Who was murdered?" This must be what Arthur had not wanted to discuss in front of him.

"You were, Merlin."

TBC

**A/N:** Once again I would like to thank Shihan Randy Crudup for his input and corrections when it came to the sword and stance lesson in this chapter. He said that he could see that I was actually paying attention in my karate class! Hey I may just pass my belt test next week after all! I'm going for yellow belt.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Merlin's mouth dropped open and the color, what little he had, drained from his face. Without any conscious thought he backed away from Arthur as his hand snaked up to his chest. His breathing started coming in short gasps, and his head reeled. He began repeating, "It was just a dream, It was just a dream." as though saying it enough times would change the reality of the situation. Merlin continued backing away from Arthur until he nearly tripped over backward on the base of one of the side pillars in the room. Arthur reached out quickly and grabbed the boy's arm, keeping him from falling.

"Merlin, stop. What dream? What happened that night when you were working in the stables?"

Ayleth had come around and seeing Merlin she quaked with fear, but she spoke to him despite her misgivings. "I saw you, I saw her kill you. How can you be standing here?"

Merlin turned to the girl looking into her terrified eyes and realized that he had seen them before. They were the eyes he had seen every night in his dream. "It's you. You were there, in my dream. You were hiding behind the door."

Seeing the same terror in Merlin's eyes that she had seen four nights ago Ayleth realized she had nothing to fear from him, and with the help of Gaius and her mother she stood up. "It was no dream. You told me to run, even as you died."

Gaius spoke gently to the distraught girl. "Obviously he wasn't actually dead, or how could he be standing here now. You have been most helpful, but I do believe it is time for you to take your rest young lady."

Emeline couldn't agree more. Obviously her daughter had mistaken what she had seen, but what ever the case; the young man standing there showed no sign that he had been attacked only a few short days ago. There was obviously magic involved in this event, and she wanted no part of that. While it was regrettable that this young man was the target of the sorceress that her daughter had seen, she did not want that woman's attention to be diverted to Ayleth. "Sire, what of my daughter? There is powerful magic at work here, what are we to do?"

Uther tore his eyes from his son's servant and turned to the woman who had come forward with her daughter. "Morgana, please see to it that these ladies have a room to stay in until we can sort out these events."

Morgana, who also looked pale and disturbed by the story the young girl told, not to mention Merlin's verification of that story, nodded and led the mother and daughter out of the throne room. As soon as the doors closed behind them Uther turned his attention back to Merlin.

"You say that all of this was just a dream? Four mornings ago a large pool of blood was found outside the royal stables so I can assure you that this was no dream. Tell us what you remember."

Looking desperate and afraid Merlin spoke. "It was a dream, it had to have been! You can't bring someone back from the dead!" As soon as he said it, Merlin remembered the wraith of Tristan Dubois and his knees buckled.

"Merlin!" Arthur made a move to help his servant up, but Uther had come closer and pulled Arthur back away from the boy.

Merlin looked up and sought out Gaius' eyes as he approached unwilling to leave his nephew kneeling alone on the floor like some sort of accused criminal. Gaius turned on Uther with anger in his eyes the like of which neither the king, nor Arthur had ever seen before. "The boy can barely stand, he must go to my chambers and lie down."

Uther was not one to be stared down and he crossed his arms over his chest. "No. Not until we hear what he has to say for himself."

Before Gaius could say anything else Merlin began to speak in a faint voice. "I was working in the stables, it was late and I was tired. I didn't see her until it was too late. She stabbed me with something. I couldn't breathe and I fell to the ground. I tried to get away from her, I rolled on my side and I saw eyes looking out from behind the door. All I could think was that whoever it was would die too if they were caught, so I tried to tell them to run, but I couldn't make a sound. The next thing I remember was pain, more pain than I have ever imagined, then I woke up. That's all. I thought it was a dream, it had to be since I woke up in bed. If she killed me.... If I died... I'm not..."

Merlin looked up at Gaius clearly distraught. "Am I a wraith, like Tristan Dubois?" Merlin asked, as he felt the world closing in on him.

Gaius was as stunned by Merlin's question as Uther was but for a very different reason. "Of course not, Merlin." the old physician answered.

Arthur was completely at a loss as to who Merlin spoke of. "Who?"

Pure fury seeped into Uther's eyes at the sound of that name, a name Arthur should never have heard. "It doesn't matter. Arthur, the physician is right, the boy needs to lie down before he faints as well. Take him to Gaius' chambers."

Arthur was confused as to why his father had suddenly become so angry, but he reached down and helped Merlin to his feet. As they turned to leave Uther commanded one of the guards to accompany them and to be certain that Merlin stayed put until Gaius' return. As soon as they had left, Uther turned to Gaius fury etched in every line of the king's face.

"You have betrayed me, physician, and your oath! You vowed to take the secret of Arthur's birth to your grave, yet this boy, this servant, is clearly privy to that private knowledge!"

Gaius was somewhat taken aback by Uther's outburst, but he was still angry with the king for treating Merlin as though he were to blame in all of this. Gaius was careful to keep his voice calm and almost managed to mask the sarcasm hidden beneath his words.

"I have not. Merlin knows that Tristan Dubois was Igraine's brother and that he blamed you for her death. He knows that you fought and that he died. He was with me when I discovered that Tristan's tomb was empty. He knows nothing of Arthur's conception. I vowed to keep the secret and I will not break that vow. Arthur knows nothing of any of this. He still believes that the black knight was a man of this world."

Uther slammed his fist into his other hand. "But Arthur's servant knows he was not! How can you be sure that Merlin hasn't spoken to Arthur about this?"

Gaius' anger was bubbling just under the surface as he realized that Uther was, at this point, more concerned about Arthur finding out the truth of his birth than of the attack against Merlin and what it could mean.

"Arthur obviously doesn't know or else he wouldn't have asked who Tristan was. Merlin knows not to discuss any of this with Arthur, and at the moment he is in no condition to be worried about a wraith that no longer exists."

Gaius' tone was sharp and Uther momentarily felt uncertain. "What of his question about being a wraith himself? He is grey enough to be a corpse. Can be actually be a wraith, and if so who has he come for?"

The court physician sighed. Uther seemed to want to find some way of casting an evil light on Merlin, and Gaius was getting more and more angry as time passed.

"Sire, Merlin is no wraith, he is a boy who needs help, and I can tell you unequivocally that he is no threat to anyone! The wraith of Tristan Dubois needed neither sleep nor sustenance. Merlin does. He is very much alive."

Uther realized on some level that he might have been stepping over a line in their friendship, but he was far too stubborn to give in just because he had stepped on the old man's toes where his ward was concerned. "What of the girl's account of seeing him die? Has he been brought back to life using the old religion?"

"Your Majesty, you know as well as I do that to mirror life there must be a death. The balance of the world must be restored."

Uther winced visibly at those words. It was a fact he knew all to well.

"Given that, and the fact that no one else has died, it is clear that while Merlin may have appeared to have died he did not. He may have been very close to death, but his heart must still have been beating."

It didn't matter to Uther how many logical objections Gaius could offer, he still needed to have something he could understand in order to deal with this situation. He had begun pacing and turned back to Gaius. "Why would Nimueh do this? What could she possibly gain by nearly killing a servant and then healing him. It makes no sense unless she plans to use him as a weapon against Arthur or against Camelot!"

Gaius had known Uther for over twenty years and as much as he wanted to scream at the king for his pigheadedness in this matter he knew that he would only make matters worse, so he adopted a calmer tone and spoke with as much patience as he could muster.

"In this you are mistaken, Sire. You have said so many times that the heart of a sorceress is evil. Merlin bears no sign of enchantment other than to have lost the will to live. I honestly believe that this was her purpose. She has fixated on Merlin because he has gone above and beyond his normal duties in an attempt to protect Arthur. Nimueh is not one to be thwarted without consequence. I believe that Merlin is now suffering those consequences. The melancholy that he suffers is profound and can not be attributed to the anemia. It does appear that Merlin was her sole target and the fact that she has not tried to attack Camelot is proof of that."

"How is that proof?" Uther demanded.

"If she truly viewed Merlin as an obstacle in her plans to harm you or Arthur, she would have taken advantage of Merlin's current condition to cause calamity. The only result we have seen from this attack is Merlin's suffering. Neither you nor Arthur have had anything untoward occur since this incident. This was revenge against Merlin, pure and simple."

Uther seemed to finally accept the explanation that Arthur was not the ultimate target of the sorceress. Gaius had logically disproved every argument he had throne at the man leaving him to draw the conclusion that his physician was once again right. The only one who seemed to have had any ill effect from all of this was indeed Merlin.

"You obviously care a great deal for the boy to fight so hard on his behalf."

Gaius knew that he had convinced Uther that Merlin was not a threat, but he wanted to drive home the point that his nephew wasn't just a mere servant or even just his ward. "Yes, Sire, I do care deeply for Merlin, for he has been a blessing to me in the autumn of my life. He _is_ as a son to me."

Uther was genuinely surprised to hear Gaius say that. He had no idea that Merlin had become so important to his old friend. "Can you do anything to help him?"

Gaius sighed and shook his head. "This retribution was brought about by the use of magic, and only magic can restore him." As Gaius said this he thought that finally he understood what Nimueh had in mind. He needed to speak to Merlin. If he could remember what incantation Nimueh used, Gaius might be able to discover what Nimueh's true intentions were. "I need to check on Merlin and see if he can remember anything else from that night. If there is nothing else...?"

Uther thought he could still hear a bit of an edge in the old physician's voice, but he had other matters to deal with. "Send Arthur back as soon as you see him. We need to discuss the curfew among other things."

Gaius bowed to the king and said, "Yes, my Lord" as he backed up then turned to leave the throne room.

* * *

Merlin walked beside Arthur in a nearly catatonic state of shock. To anyone observing the pair it would have looked as though the prince were leading someone sleep-walking by the arm. The revelation that his nightmare was, in fact, real reverberated through Merlin's mind in an endless echo. He was only peripherally aware of Arthur guiding him down the steps of the main keep and across the courtyard; the footsteps of the guard accompanying them sounding distant in his ears.

When they reached the curving staircase leading up to the court physician's chambers, Merlin didn't notice Arthur release his arm nor did he hear him turn to the guard to give him instructions to remain at the base of the staircase. He simply began to ascend the stairs mechanically, not waiting or caring if Arthur followed. Once inside, Merlin sat down on the short bench that sat in front of Gaius' reading table staring blankly at the books and papers scattered across it's surface.

Merlin saw the events of his dream, or more accurately his attack, replay before his mind's eye over and over again. It was almost as though his subconscious mind were trying to ferret out some lost detail, or to glean some forgotten fact about what had happened. What was clear to the young man was that the loss of his powers was no mystery any longer. Nimueh had done this to him. She hadn't tried to kill him, but she might just as well have. Stealing his magic was worse than death to the young man's way of thinking. Magic is what defined Merlin, it made him who he was, and without it he was nothing more than a barren empty shell.

Merlin's first instinct, to deny that this had actually happened, gave way to anger. Gone was the fear that he had felt simmering just below the surface for the last four days. It was replaced by a blazing rage that longed for an outlet to express itself. She had stripped away his soul and smiled while she had done it. It would have been wiser to have let him die there on the cold hard flagstone in front of the stables as the desire to avenge her treachery exploded in his heart sending a shock-wave of fury through his mind with enough power to awaken the sleeping dragon far below the castle.

When Arthur entered the room he approached Merlin stunned by the look on his servant's face. Merlin may have been one of the most outspoken, stubborn and obstinate people Arthur had ever met, but for all of that he was also the kindest and most gentle person he had ever known. What Arthur saw in Merlin's eyes now was an all consuming anger that looked so out of place, he began to wonder if perhaps he had indeed been enchanted by the sorceress who attacked him.

"Merlin?" the prince asked, as he came closer.

Merlin turned his smoldering eyes to meet Arthur's and for a moment the young prince felt genuine fear, backing up step. The ferocity reflected in Merlin's eyes bordered on madness, but in a flash, it was gone; his eyes only reflecting crushing fatigue. What was missing was the terror Arthur had seen shining through ever since he saw him that morning in the armory pinned to the floor with the practice target. No hint of that fear remained.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked as he pulled up a stool to sit down next to his friend.

"No." Merlin replied, shaking his head.

* * *

.

* * *

The Great Dragon beneath Camelot was not the only creature of magic that felt the effect of Merlin's wrath. Deep in the forest, Morthwyl's eyes closed against the violent fury he felt rippling through the veil of magic that surrounds every living thing. Emerys knew what had happened; he had seen through Nimueh's subterfuge and that did not bode well for the druid's involvement in this was nothing he could do at this point except to wait and watch as destiny unfolded.

* * *

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* * *

Gaius looked at the royal guard standing at the base of the stairs leading up to his chambers, and his irritation flared again. The physician had quite enough of the suspicious behavior directed toward his ward and cast a decidedly aggravated look at the man as he passed him. When he arrived at his door he heard Merlin shouting and opened the door quickly to find the young man standing in front of his reading table holding the dragon's tooth and glaring at Arthur.

"Why the hell didn't someone show this to me? You suspected that I was the person hurt at the stables," Merlin had turned and saw Gaius standing in the doorway, and included him in his ranting. "you both did, but never once did anyone bother to tell me that anything unusual had happened. If I had seen this," he said, as he held up the tooth, "I would have known that what I had seen wasn't just a dream. It would have saved everyone a lot of trouble. I wouldn't be waking up every morning thinking I've gone mad with some horrible nightmare running through my mind!"

Arthur was shocked beyond measure at Merlin's outburst. He had never seen Merlin so livid and to have his servant stand there railing at him was not something he was accustomed to, but he couldn't fault Merlin for his anger at the situation. If their places were reversed he would be feeling and acting much the same way.

"Merlin..."

"Merlin!"

Both Gaius and Arthur spoke at the same time. Arthur had adopted a tone that clearly was designed to try and calm the younger man down, while Gaius' spoke with admonishment at the way his nephew had just addressed the prince. His louder and decidedly scolding tone earned him the attention of both young men which he took advantage of, and continued to speak before either one of them could interject anything.

"First of all, Merlin, no one was trying to keep anything from you. You had no wound so how was either of us to know that you were the person injured? Secondly you need to sit down right now before you fall down!" Gaius' stepped closer to Merlin as he spoke and took the young man by the arm.

Arthur had not noticed that Merlin had begun to waver on his feet. Merlin's anger had lent him enough energy to express his anger about the dragon tooth that he found poking out from under some of Gaius' papers on his desk, but between the outburst, the shock of discovering that his dream had indeed actually happened, and the rigorous training session with Arthur that morning he had nearly reached his physical limit.

Merlin sat back down on the bench in front of the table sullenly still holding the dragon's tooth. He stared at it blankly for a moment then looked up at Gaius. "It's broken."

Gaius and Arthur exchanged an apprehensive look.

"Part of this thing is still inside of me, isn't it?"

Merlin looked hopeless holding the dragon tooth in loose hands on his lap. As much as Gaius wished he could protect his nephew from the truth he knew he couldn't. "Yes, Merlin, it is. You mustn't lose hope. Now that we know what happened, I promise you that I will not rest until I find a way to remedy what she did to you."

Arthur saw hope spring up in his servant's eyes at the earnest tone in the physician's voice, and shared that feeling. Gaius would solve this, he would find a way to help Merlin now that they knew what had happened.

Gaius took the tooth from Merlin and placed it on the table before turning to Arthur with a determined look in his eye. "The king would like to speak with you about the curfew and other matters, and you _will_ please take that guard with you." Gaius' hard tone broached no argument, and the steel in his eye was not something that Arthur cared to test. He felt that the guard set on Merlin was an overreaction on his father's part in the first place, and it was one that he could easily rectify.

Once Arthur had left, Gaius set about making some tea for Merlin. He looked fairly pale, but more importantly he looked worn out and wondered what he and Arthur had done over the course of the morning. "You seem a bit tired for just having cleaned Arthur's chambers, this morning."

"That would be due to the two hours of sparing practice." Merlin answered wearily.

Gaius turned a concerned eye to his nephew. He was surprised that Arthur would put Merlin through such a rigorous task knowing how weak he was due to the anemia. Merlin watched as the emotions played across the older man's face and knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Actually it was more enjoyable than I ever would have imagined. Arthur was _teaching_ me how to spar, how to hold a sword and a fighting staff and how to protect myself if attacked." When Gaius turned to face Merlin with raised eyebrows Merlin continued. "He said that he wanted to make me into a better sparring partner."

"Did he now?"

Merlin smiled sheepishly at Gaius wondering mildly why he felt a little guilty. Once he was finished, Gaius pulled up a stool next to Merlin, and they sat for a few minutes sipping the tea in companionable silence. Gaius kept looking at Merlin until the young man noticed, and gave his uncle his full attention. "Merlin, I need you to tell me about your dream. What incantation did Nimueh use when she attacked you?"

Merlin knew this question would come. He had been thinking about this from the moment he discovered that his nightmare wasn't just a dream. Nimueh had stolen his magic, that is why she had attacked him. A thought suddenly occurred to Merlin, and he shot up out of his seat. "Arthur! I can't protect him now!"

Gaius reached up and took Merlin's arm to calm him. "Merlin, it has been four days since you were attacked, and nothing has happened to Arthur, or the king or to Camelot. It seems that _you_ were Nimueh's target. If you can remember the incantation she used we can try to figure out a way to help you."

"Honestly, Gaius, all I really remember is the pain and the fear. I know she spoke at some point but I don't remember what she said."

"I do." Morgana said, from the doorway. Both Gaius and Merlin spun around shocked that their conversation had been overheard. Gaius tried to think if either of them had mentioned Merlin's gift in the last few minutes. "I'm sorry to have just walked in, I didn't mean to interrupt, but the door was ajar."

Merlin and Gaius relaxed a little as the Lady Morgana walked into the room without accusation in her eyes. She had thankfully not heard them talking about Merlin's magic. Gaius frowned as he realized what Morgana had said. "Perhaps we should speak of this privately?"

The unease that she felt when she first told Gaius of her dream was still there, but it was pushed down by her fiery determination to help Merlin. "It's alright, Gaius. This concerns Merlin and he has a right to know."

Morgana looked at the young man and spoke softly. "Merlin, I... sometimes I dream things. I have since I was a child. Sometimes my dreams come true. I have had a dream - about you. That dream, at least in part, matches what that peasant girl told us today. Gaius gave me a stronger sleeping drought, but I didn't take it. I wanted to know what happened. The dream was much clearer and I heard what this sorceress said. I don't understand a word of it, but I _remember_ those words."

Gaius wasted no time, pulling out parchment and quill. He took down the exact words as Morgana recited them. He scoured through books to verify what he thought he already knew the translation to be. The first incantation that she used was specifically to rob Merlin of his powers. Draca gebindan mid heorte binnan wunian; gehealdan gebindan se scinnlac binnan literally translated to 'Dragon bind with the heart in which you dwell; hold tight the magic within', but Gaius wouldn't reveal Merlin's gift, even to Morgana. He felt some trepidation at how Merlin would take this news and it weighed heavily on his heart.

"The first spell says 'Dragon, bind with the heart in which you dwell; hold tight the life within'. I can only guess that it was meant to make you weak and despondent." Gaius said looking directly at Merlin trying to convey that he should go along with this translation until they were alone.

Merlin knew enough of the old language to know that Gaius had purposely changed the word magic to the word life. He was confused by the incantation, however. If the magic was being 'held tight within' then she had not taken it for herself. That must mean, at least he hoped it meant, that he still had his magic, although it sounded as though it was being held captive inside of his own heart. He was so busy thinking about the implications of her first spell that he almost missed Gaius' translation of the second spell.

"The second incantation was a healing spell, to heal the wound she had inflicted. That translation is quite straight forward. This third translation is what tells us the real story."

Merlin and Morgana both leaned forward and spoke in unison. "What does it say?"

"The translation is rough, but 'Astandan ac folgian min gefadung' means 'Memory denied this night' or using the vernacular 'Deny your memory of this night'. She wanted you to have no memory of the attack, but she must have preformed the spell incorrectly, for you did remember. As a nightmare rather than as an actual event, but you remembered it nonetheless."

"Why would she do that?" Merlin asked, bewildered by this.

"So that she could come to your rescue. I think she means to try to heal your suffering to gain your confidence. That could very well be why she has targeted you alone. If she could gain your trust she would have a direct line to Arthur and consequently, Uther."

Merlin looked aghast for a moment, then his face became hard and his eyes filled with a seething rage that transformed them from the soft blue orbs that Morgana was used to seeing. Suddenly she felt that same jolt of panic at the look of pure malice in Merlin's eyes that had awoken her from her last dream. She instantly had the strong impression that Merlin was not someone to be toyed with.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Thank you all for your reviews. This chapter is a monster and very long which hopefully will hold you over for a little while. My 4 year old is just getting over the H1N1 virus (he was running incredible temps – 107.2 at it's highest) and now it looks like I have contracted it as well. I will be necessarily taking a break from the writing.

I wish to thank my betas again for all their help. They are the glue that keeps me on track.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Morthwyl stood silently in an empty courtyard of stone and grass facing a rectangular stone dais. He had waited for hours, still as the stone arches surrounding the courtyard, knowing full well that Nimueh would answer his summons. As the sun slipped down past the walls of stone casting long shadows across the grass, she appeared out of thin air. This was her element, Morthwyl was not in his forest; his power was no match for hers in this place. Her confidence was clear as she approached the inanimate figure, but her strutting gate slowed as she drew closer. The old druid lowered his hood and stared at her with black smoldering eyes. Those eyes held a warning as well as anger.

"Your folly has come back on you, Nimueh. Did you not sense his fury when he discovered your artifice?"

Nimueh paused for a moment. She had no notion of what Morthwyl was talking about. She knew that Merlin had descended into a deep depression after losing his magic. She knew that Uther suspected him of being enchanted and wanted to ostracize him from his son, Arthur, which worked to her advantage. She was planning to visit Merlin that night with an answer to his problems - a cure that came with a price.

She had wiped the boy's memory of the incident in front of the stables. Her plan had worked brilliantly - now this druid claimed that Merlin _knew_ what had happened. She found that hard to believe. She had kept a close watch on Merlin and Camelot through sorcery, and the boy had spoken to no one of her attack on him. It is true that she should have cleaned up the blood spilt, but there was the sound of running feet and she didn't want to be seen, so she left it. She knew that it had been discovered, but no one had any idea where it had come from. The physician suspected that Merlin was involved, but without a wound he had no evidence and thus no idea what to think.

"Why do you say this? I have been watching, and Merlin knows nothing! He only knows that he is miserable."

The pure contempt that washed over Morthwyl's face offended Nimueh. Did he not know with whom he was dealing? His words ground like broken glass against her nerves and yet a small part of her heart worried that they were true.

"You have allowed your lust for vengeance to cloud your perceptions. Emerys knows that you attacked him. He knows that you are responsible for his power's absence. He knows why you have done this. His anger sent a surge of fury through the veil of magic that imbues the earth itself, and when he is found worthy, you and I will both pay the price for your imprudence."

Nimueh couldn't - she wouldn't - believe what she had heard. She waved her hands and spoke an incantation over the stone dais in front of her. A shallow bowl appeared; filled with a smooth dark liquid. As she spoke the liquid began to swirl and an image formed. Merlin was sitting in Gaius' chambers as the physician looked through books. The old man's words caught her by surprise and turned her blood cold.

_"The translation is rough, but _'Astandan ac folgian min gefadung' _means 'Memory denied this night' or using the vernacular 'Deny your memory of this night'. She wanted you to have no memory of the attack, but she must have preformed the spell incorrectly, for you did remember. As a nightmare rather than as an actual event, but you remembered it nonetheless."_

_"Why would she do that?"_

_"So that she could come to your rescue. I think she means to try __to_ _heal your suffering to gain your confidence. That could very well be why she has targeted you alone. If she could gain your trust she would have a direct line to Arthur and consequently, Uther."_

She focused on Merlin's face. The pure smoldering outrage reflected in his blue eyes sent a shiver down her spine. They held the same look which, for the briefest of moments, she had seen after she cast the spell to wipe Merlin's memory. Nimueh looked up at Morthwyl in frustration.

Morthwyl just stared back at her with disdain. "You are a fool, Nimueh. You have set events in motion that cannot be stopped."

He raised the hood of his cloak and once again the druid was gone with a blink of an eye. Nimueh slammed her hand down on the dais as she realized her plans were once again thwarted by the boy sorcerer. She would let him rot before she would recant the spell now. He could live out the rest of his days without magic for all she cared. At least he would no longer get in her way.

* * *

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* * *

Morgana knew that Merlin would need to rest. He looked dreadful but the first part of her dream rose up in her mind. She spoke to Merlin in a timorous voice.

"You must be careful, Merlin. This isn't over yet."

Gaius shot her a warning look. Merlin had quite enough to deal with at the moment. Morgana bowed her head in submission and wished them both good day as she left.

The afternoon had crept up on them so quickly that Gaius was surprised to find the sun so far past its zenith. Merlin had gone up to his room and sat on the bed staring at his hands. Gaius walked over to the stairs leading up to his room and watched him for a moment before speaking.

"Morgana was right, Merlin. This isn't over, but I promise you, I will find a way to restore your magic."

Merlin barely nodded in acknowledgement of what Gaius had said. After a few moments he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, leaving Gaius standing at the base of the short staircase feeling dreadful for the boy. The physician spent the next two hours scouring every text he could find that dealt with binding magic, but could find no counter spell. He looked through every text and scroll he had that discussed the human heart praying that he could find some way to medically extract the tooth from his nephew's heart, but none existed. To cut into the boy's chest would spell his death. By the time he'd given in to his fruitless searches the sun was creeping low into the western sky.

Merlin still slept in his bed so Gaius set about making a fire in the hearth so he could prepare dinner. As he worked, a knock at the door announced Arthur's return.

"How is Merlin doing?"

Gaius stood up from the pot of stew he had just put on to heat. "He is sleeping and has been for the last few hours. He told me about the sparing practice this morning."

Arthur wasn't sure that Gaius approved, considering the fact that it seemed to have contributed to Merlin's fatigue.

"Yes, well, I thought that it might help his confidence if he felt like he could defend himself. Honestly, Gaius, I really just wanted to get a reaction from him. He has been so polite the last week that I don't think I could have stood it for much longer. He did seem to enjoy the practice this morning."

Gaius was smiling as Arthur spoke. "Actually he did enjoy the session, although it wore him out quite a bit. I'm glad that you tried to bolster his confidence; that was a wise choice."

Arthur looked around at the physician's chambers and saw what looked like every book imaginable pulled out and opened. The book closest to where he stood was opened to a page with a very detailed illustration of a human heart that was cut in half lengthwise. He grimaced at the sight. "Have you figured out a way to help him yet?"

Gaius set the spoon that he had used to stir the stew down on the table and sighed.

"Sadly, no. The dragon's tooth is embedded inside of his heart. There is no way for me to remove it without killing him. I can find no reference to any magic that will help either." At Arthur's surprised look he quickly added, "Not that I could use a magical cure to his ailment in any case."

"So that's it? There is nothing you can do for him?" Arthur asked incredulously.

The prince looked up, and just past Gaius' shoulder he saw Merlin standing there at the base of the stairs leading up into his room. The look on his face was one of disbelief and betrayal. Gaius turned and saw Merlin as well and his heart sank. Merlin said nothing, he simply turned and walked back up to his room and closed the door behind him. Both Gaius and Arthur heard him fasten the lock then heard nothing more.

Merlin ignored Gaius' attempts to coax him from his room to eat or to talk. He closed his ears as Gaius explained how hard he had searched for a remedy to the spell Nimueh had cast. He sat in his room allowing his anger to build. He was angry with Gaius for making a promise that he couldn't keep, but he was furious at Nimueh for doing this to him in the first place. The fear he felt at the prospect of never having magic again caused the anger to swell in his heart until he felt he couldn't stand it any longer. It was as though his world was heaving from one extreme to the next. His anger would ebb as his energy waned and would give way to fatigue and depression, until the complete injustice of it all reasserted itself and his anger returned in full force.

In one of his fits of fury Merlin didn't even realize what he was doing until he had almost finished packing. He had his sleeping roll tied on top of his bag while all of his clothes, totaling three shirts and two spare pair of pants along with other items were stuffed into the backpack. He looked through the room, which was pretty bare, and saw the board that covered the compartment in the floor where his hid the book of magic that Gaius had given him. He made a move to retrieve it, but stopped as another wave of depression fell over him. It was his most prized possession and yet he had no use for a book such as that anymore. It might as well stay hidden - buried in the floor - a fitting grave for the tome, along with the rest of his former life.

Gaius had been called urgently to attend one of the ill gentry and Merlin used that opportunity to slip out unseen. He grabbed up a few pieces of bread that Gaius had set out next to the now cooling pot of stew. He also took one of Gaius' lidded medicine boxes and poured some stew into it then tied the lid on tightly with some string, wrapped it in a large cloth and placed it and the bread carefully in the bottom of his backpack.

It was after dusk and the curfew was now in effect so he would need to very carefully move through the city. There was still enough light that he could be seen by any of the guards which made his passage through the courtyard extremely risky. He held his pack in one hand as he laid his back against the wall near the steps of the main keep until the patrolling guards had made their way through the courtyard and turned down toward the stables. He used the opportunity to slip through the courtyard and past the market place stopping only twice to duck down behind carts as more of the royal guard passed by. By the time he had made it to the main gates of the city it was not quite dark but the shadows were beginning to blend into to the dim lighting of the clouds still illuminated by the sun that had already set.

There was no way that he could slip by the two guards standing sentry at the gates. He would have used magic to slip past if he had it to call forth, but as it was he needed to rely on other skills. Not far past the drawbridge there were a collection of barrels haphazardly stacked. If he couldn't get past the guards then he would have to get the guards to move. Setting his backpack down, Merlin looked around but could only see a couple of small stones, barely larger than pebbles. He needed something with some serious heft if he wanted to create enough of a commotion to get both guards to leave their post.

He backed slowly away from the gates and slipped around the corner leading back into the market place. Once there, he had to be careful of the patrolling guard, but they seemed to have gone through the market place already and shouldn't be back around again for a little while. He found a stack of brick and mortar used by one of the four masons in Camelot. He picked up two heavy bricks and as carefully and silently as possible he went back to the main gates. He had to think this through because he had only one chance to get past these guards without being seen.

Taking careful aim, Merlin stepped almost out of the shadow of the wall and threw the first brick as hard as he could toward the barrels. The brick sailed just over the top of them impacting the wall with a loud clatter before falling down behind them. Both of the guards turned toward the sound, but it was now full dark and they couldn't find the source of the disturbance. Merlin aimed lower and hurled the second brick which connected solidly with one of the barrels on the top of the stack and sent the entire section tumbling to the ground.

Both of the guards at the gate ran toward the commotion as Merlin was sure the patrolling guards would also do. He grabbed his pack and slipped away as the guards passed him, headed toward the now rolling and falling pile of barrels. He ran across the drawbridge as fast as he could, knowing that the sounds of the falling barrels would cover the sound of his flight. He didn't stop running until he had gained the safety of the trees a hundred yards off where he slid down behind a large trunk to catch his breath.

Once he was far enough away from the city to be confident that he wouldn't be spotted, he began walking. Merlin didn't think about what direction he was headed when he left Camelot behind; his mind a jumble of turmoil. He felt alone, vulnerable, and scared, but those emotions did battle in his heart with anger and a feeling of betrayal. _'How could Gaius have lied to me about this? How could he make a promise that he had no real hope of keeping?'_

The sweltering heat of the past two weeks still felt oppressive even after the sun had gone down, but Merlin hardly noticed as he trudged through the forest to the main road leading to the north and home.

He was fatigued from the deluge of emotions rushing through him like waves in a turbulent sea and the heat and the heavy pack he carried sapped him of strength as the evening wore on into night. After walking for an hour he could go no further and decided to stop for a break and something to eat.

As tired as he was he didn't want to stop for long. He felt naked without his magic and every sound in the forest made him jump. After sitting with his back against a tree for almost half an hour, jolted by every sound of the nocturnal forest coming to life, Merlin was ready to get up and continue his journey. At least as he walked, he heard less of the sounds that made him flinch with alarm.

The day's heat had finally given way to cooler temperatures, and a clear sky as night fully engulfed the forest. Following the road without much thought to direction was almost a relief for him. A full moon on a cloudless night lit the way adequately enough for the young man, and he once again allowed his mind to sift through everything that had happened over the last several days. Even though he was still suffering the effects of anemia, his anger supplied sufficient energy to keep him going. Half an hour later a wagon rolled up the road from behind, nearly running him over.

"Whoa there!" the wagon driver shouted as he caught sight of the lone figure walking down the road.

The near collision took Merlin by surprise and quickly pulled him from his revere. He spun around startled and looking to the driver as though he would faint of fright.

"I'm fair sorry tae've scared yer, I didn't see yer in the dark there."

The wagon driver could see Merlin clearly in the moonlight and realized that he was barely more than a boy, his pale complexion making him seem even younger than his nineteen years. "What be yer doin' walking the road alone at night, lad?"

When Merlin spoke his voice had a slight quiver in it as he tried to slow down his racing heart. "I.. I'm just going home."

The man leaned down and looked more closely at Merlin as if sizing him up, then he held out his hand. "Odin Gillivray. (1) I'm headed down to West Shireton and ken drop yer anywhere between here and there if yer'd like."

"Merlin." the young man introduced himself, "and thank you I'm not going quite as far as that. My village is Elador."

Taking Merlin's hand, Odin shuttered at how cold the boy was. He reached behind him and pulled out a blanket and tossed it down to his would-be passenger. "Yer cold as ice there. Hop up in back and get yerself covered up."

Merlin caught the blanket easily and gratefully climbed up in the back of the wagon. There were boxes and crates of several shapes and sizes in the back of the wagon emitting such a variety of strong odors that it made the young man re-think the offer of a ride. The back corner on the right, however, was piled high with fresh hay that looked very inviting.

Once the adrenalin of his anger and sudden fright at nearly being run down had left him, Merlin was hit with an all encompassing fatigue. He could use a few minutes to lay his head down despite the odor. Odin chatted amiably for almost half an hour talking about his trade route and the fact that he normally stopped in the village of Elador. The man had a pleasant enough voice and the rocking motion of the cart soon found the young man fast asleep.

It was just past dawn when Odin reached over and shook Merlin awake. "Yae be home there, young Merlin, or at the vera least but a wee distance. D'yer feel any better then? Yer slept like the dead, yer did."

Merlin blinked rapidly trying to shake the sleep from his eyes as he looked around. It took him a moment to recognize his surroundings. They were still on the main road but he knew this area very well. Childhood memories rushed to the forefront of his mind. To the left of the main road was a smaller dirt path that led to a steep hill with a large solitary apple tree overlooking a thicket of forested land that opened up to an expanse of wide fields and the small farming community he had grown up in.

Merlin remembered many fine summer days climbing the branches of the gnarled old tree, and in the fall claiming its juicy bounty for an afternoon snack. He was home. That revelation struck him so strongly that his eyes prickled with pent up emotion. He climbed down from the wagon, and breathed deeply the sweet scent of the long sage grasses that blanketed the hill leading to hearth and home.

"Thank you for the ride, Odin."

"Dunnae mention it. Yer take car o' yerself there, young Merlin." The old man called as he pulled away and headed further north.

The sun was rising quickly, heralding the busy morning activities of village life. Small children were already out and running around as the villagers began their morning routines. As he approached his childhood home, Merlin caught sight of his mother pulling down wash that had been hung out to dry overnight. The smell of fresh baked bread wafted through the air and brought a rush of nostalgia to his senses. He had only been gone for seven months, but it felt like a lifetime had passed by. For a fleeting moment he wondered if his mother would even recognize him, until she turned to go back inside and caught sight of her son walking toward her.

"Merlin?" Hunith said, in disbelief, and then she dropped her basket and ran with out-stretched arms to her child "Merlin!"

The embrace of his mother brought a torrent of mixed emotions to the young warlock. He felt relief that she welcomed him without reservation, a release of anxiety at being in familiar surroundings, an overwhelming joy at seeing his mother and his childhood home again; all underlying the deep sadness at having lost an essential and vital part of himself. For the moment, as he held his mother tightly, he wished with all of his heart that he had never left his home and ventured out into the world. He never even felt the tears well up in his eyes and roll down his cheeks. Finally she stood back from her son looking him over noting his pale complexion, his cold hands, the pained expression on his face, his tears and the unfathomable sadness in his eyes. The first thought that she had was for her brother.

"Oh, Merlin, what is it? Is Gaius alright?"

Her concern confused him for a moment until he realized that she must have thought the worst to have him show up like this unexpectedly. "He's fine, Mother." At her uncertain look he added, "Honestly, he is probably just getting up right now."

"You look exhausted, come inside and let me make you some breakfast."

As Hunith led her son back to the thatched hut he had grown up in, Merlin automatically reached down and collected the basket his mother had dropped. He was now accustomed to picking up discarded items having been Arthur's servant for the last several months and his automatic action was not lost on his mother.

"Why have you come, Merlin? What is wrong?"

Merlin deposited the wash basket in the corner as they entered the hut and shrugged off his pack placing it next to the basket. "Do I need a reason to visit my mother?"

She turned and looked at him with the same suspicious gaze that Gaius so often bestowed upon him, but after a moment she looked away and began to cut slices off the freshly baked bread that she had made. "I suppose you don't, but this is a bit unexpected. Never-the-less, sit down and tell me how are you?"

"I'm fine, Mother."

She didn't believe him for a second. He not only looked ill, he had an intense despair in his eyes that pained her heart to see. She began to wonder if sending her son away to Camelot had been a bad decision. "And how is Gaius?"

"He is well."

Merlin's short answers were starting to worry her and she decided to stop beating around the bush. "What happened between you and Gaius? He hasn't been unkind to you?"

That was the last thing that Merlin had expected to hear and quickly came to his uncle's defense. "No, not at all. Gaius has been great, _more_ than great. He's like a father to me."

Hunith turned to face Merlin directly and her expression was firm. She wanted proper answers to her questions. "Then what is it? You show up here at the crack of dawn so you must have traveled all night. Did you leave a message for Gaius? He does know you're here doesn't he?"

Merlin cleared his throat nervously. "Ummm, actually no, he doesn't. I was pretty upset when I left and... well I didn't think about writing him a letter. I..." Merlin sighed deeply realizing that he had really done a poor thing to the man who had taken him in at great risk to himself were Uther ever to discover what Merlin was capable of.

"Merlin! He'll be sick with worry. I don't care what you two fought about; you shouldn't have just left without at least telling him where you were going."

"I probably should have left a note, but I imagine he'll know where I headed... shouldn't he?" Merlin added almost to himself.

At his mother's angry glare he had the decency to look abashed. "I'm sorry, it was wrong to just leave like that. Gaius has been very good to me and he didn't deserve that, no matter what happened. There isn't really anything I can do about it now though. He'll be better off without me in any case. I'm not exactly easy to live with, always making a mess and I'm not the greatest at cleaning up after myself, although in fairness that _is_ what I do all day long."

Merlin's mother allowed a small smile to touch her lips as she turned around again and placed bread and a small piece of cheese on a plate and then set them in front of her son. She pulled out some grain and water and began to make porridge while Merlin munched on the bread. She knew her brother, and while she was sure he would be concerned she was also fairly certain that he would know exactly where Merlin had gone.

"Gaius wrote to me and told me that you had procured a position in the royal household after less than a week in Camelot. He also told me that you saved the life of Price Arthur."

"Oh that. Well, yeah, I'm Arthur's man servant. I really don't like that title much." he added as an aside. "What else has Gaius told you?"

Placing the water on the fire to heat, she turned and took a seat at the table as she sorted the grains into separate bowels. "Gaius has kept in touch with me on a regular basis. For instance I know that you wound up in the stocks on your first day in the city _and_ I know why."

Merlin ducked his head a little with that memory. It was the first time he'd met Arthur. "Well at least you know I'm getting my fruits and vegetables." Merlin quipped.

Sarcasm was a natural defense mechanism for the young man, but he could see that his mother was not impressed. "It was all Arthur's fault. Mind you, now that I think about it, every time I wound up in the stocks it was down to Arthur."

"Merlin! I raised you to speak your mind, but I see I neglected to teach you the wisdom of whom to share your opinions with!"

"He was being ghastly, Mother! Honestly he deserved... " Merlin stopped at the stern look his mother cast in his direction. She was only able to keep it up for a moment before her eyes softened. She had never been able to stay angry with her son no matter how much she knew she should.

"Gaius also told me about a young lady named Gwen."

That brought a smile to Merlin's face. "Gwen's wonderful. She was actually my first friend in Camelot. We met... well we met while I was getting those extra fruits and vegetables. Her father is the blacksmith, and she's the Lady Morgana's maid servant, and one of the nicest people in Camelot."

Gaius had told Hunith all about Gwen and how she seemed to fancy Merlin, what he didn't tell her was how utterly clueless Merlin was to that fact. There was time for him to learn, and it did seem that Merlin cared for her as well, judging by the smile on his face when he spoke of her.

"Tell me about Camelot. What is it like?"

Once again a gleam came into Merlin's eyes that almost overshadowed the sadness that she could see there. "Camelot is brilliant. It's big and beautiful, and exciting."

Merlin's face fell as he thought of all of the things he had seen in Camelot. It is where he had met the Great Dragon and learned of his destiny as it related to Arthur, a destiny that he could no longer fulfill. The sadness that his mother had seen when she first laid eyes on him became more pronounced, like a wall had suddenly shot up around her son's heart. Hunith knew her son like no other person in the world. She could almost read his mind especially when he was upset about something.

"Your uncle also told me about your destiny."

Merlin let out a snort. "My destiny! See how well _that_ turned out." There was such bitterness in his words that she was shocked.

She reached forward and drew her hand down the side of his face causing him to look up at her. "Merlin, nothing is set in stone. The chapters of your life have barely begun to unfold and yet you speak of them as though they have already come to pass." She looked at him tenderly and asked, "Has anyone ever asked _you_ what you think of this destiny of yours?"

Merlin stopped for a moment and thought about that. No one actually had ever stopped to wonder how he felt about his role in Arthur's life; he had simply been told that this was his destiny.

"I... I don't really know how I feel about it anymore. I thought I did... but now it's all changed, I've changed."

Merlin stopped speaking, refusing to move on or say anything more. His mother could tell that there was more on his mind, but he was refusing to speak of it so, she decided not to push the question of his destiny. "What about Prince Arthur? Tell me about him."

"Arthur?" A short sarcastic laugh followed the utterance of that name. "Arthur is arrogant, conceited, stubborn, self-righteous and a royal pain in the ass. He thinks that he is God's gift to the fairer sex, and he thinks he is right about everything. Oh yeah, Arthur thinks he's got it all figured out, but he hasn't. He spends half his time trying to gain the approval or even the notice of his father. He goes on and on about his duty and what's expected of him."

Merlin had lost what little appetite he had and pushed the plate away from him slightly. "Well I guess in all honesty, Uther expects an awful lot of him, and Arthur tries to please him, he really does. They've had some fights, some awful rows actually. Uther even threw Arthur into the dungeon at one point. You see, Arthur will stand up for what he believes in, even if it means standing up to the King. He's the best fighter and swordsman in the kingdom. He's brave and extremely skilled in all forms of combat. He's incredibly loyal to his king and his country. He is true and fair. Actually in comparison to Uther, Arthur is downright open-minded. He'll stand up for what's right and he's noble. He even saved my life once at great risk to his own, not to mention bringing down the King's wrath on him."

At Hunith's questioning frown Merlin elaborated. "Uther forbid Arthur to go on a quest to find a cure for a poison I drank, but he went anyway. That was when Uther threw him into the dungeons - when he came back with the cure and then Uther refused to give the cure to Gaius so he could save me. Gwen had to sneak down to the dungeons and get it from Arthur. Apparently Uther was trying to make some kind of point to Arthur. A punishment of sorts for defying his orders not to go."

Merlin's mother first paled at how close her son had come to dying and then a fierce fire formed in her eyes for the ruthless King who would allow an innocent boy to die simply to teach his son a lesson. Her voice was steely when she replied. "Gaius neglected to tell me that."

Merlin could see that his mother had become very angry and he wished that he hadn't said so much. "It's all good now; the King has even changed his mind about me a little. I was helping him into his armor before he fought a black knight in Arthur's place. I told him that Arthur and I have a sort of bond now and he was pleased to hear that. He even told me to look after him. He is hard and cruel, but I have seen a man underneath the hard exterior he shows the world."

Hunith was still very displeased but she let it drop. To hear that her son had a bond with the Crown-Prince that seemed to go beyond this destiny that Gaius told her about was what she wanted to know more about. Merlin may have spoken ill about Arthur when he first described the prince but he had ended up praising him. "So you think Arthur will make a good king someday?"

"I've seen true nobility in him underneath the spoiled prat who was raised without the wisdom of a mother. Arthur is so different from Uther and I'm very glad of that. He may have Uther's stubbornness, but he doesn't fear magic the way the king does. He can see value in many things that Uther can't abide. Oh yes, Arthur will one day be a great king. I really do honestly believe that he will be the force that unites all of Albion. That is _his_ destiny as much as it is mine to..."

Merlin stopped short and looked at his mother with a sense of awe. She always knew how to get him to look at things from the right perspective. He shook his head and smiled then reached across the table and took his mother's hands.

"I'm glad that I came home. It is so wonderful to see you again, truly it is, but I don't belong here. I'm sorry, but I have to go back."

Hunith squeezed her son's hands. "It sounds to me as though you have decided how you really feel about your destiny. Stay for a while and eat a proper breakfast. I want to finish the letter that I started for Gaius, and have you bring it back to him for me."

"You won't tell him that I told you about the poison. That was quite a long time ago and well I really shouldn't have said anything."

Hunith looked at her son for a long moment before she answered him. "Merlin, you know that you can tell me anything. I've always told you that. Gaius should have told me, but to your point it was a long time ago and you're right. What good would it have done to worry me like that? I'll always be honest with you and you with me. That is what will hold us together when we are apart."

Merlin folded the wash while Hunith made the porridge and in the process she made him take a new tunic that she had planned on sending with her next letter. This one was heavy and should be quite a bit warmer when the colder fall days arrived. As he ate, his mother packed him some food for the journey back to Camelot casting surreptitious glances at him when she was sure he wasn't looking. She still didn't know what had driven him home and away from Gaius, but she saw a new resolve in her son's eyes. When he left it was with a full belly and a fierce determination that made her heart swell with pride.

* * *

.

* * *

As Merlin made his way back to the main road he felt a sense of finality come over him. This village was the only home he had known until he went to Camelot. His childhood had been a good one, but as he had gotten older, life in the small village had become more difficult. Hiding his gifts had become an onerous task and the main reason that his mother had sent him to live with his uncle. When he left his village the first time he felt the thrill of adventure, off to a new place with new people and sights to see. As he walked through the tree line and up to the hill with the old apple tree the sense of adventure was no longer with him. He felt the weight of responsibility hang around him like a shroud, but he didn't begrudge his destiny because he believed in Arthur. The words of the Great Dragon floated in the back of his mind.

_'None of us can choose our destiny, Merlin, and none of us can escape it.'_

"No one ever said that my destiny included so much walking." he quipped to himself as he walked along the long road that wound its way south. The morning sun brought with it more of the stifling heat that had been the norm for the last couple of weeks and it wasn't long before Merlin broke out in a sweat and had to remove his jacket and stuff it in his backpack. As he kept a steady pace his thoughts returned to the previous night and the traveling merchant who had picked him up. He knew that the hour was not particularly late when Odin came across him, but still to have made it all the way to Ealdor by morning was puzzling him. The wagon didn't seem to be moving so quickly. He knew that to make it that distance in the space of one night the wagon must have been at a full gallop all night long, a fact that didn't fit with his experience.

By mid day he needed to stop and rest, for his feet wouldn't take him any further. He found shade under a large oak tree and pulled out some food and a flask of water. He hadn't planned on staying for very long under that tree, only long enough to eat and rest his feet for a few minutes, but before he realized it, he had fallen asleep. The sound of his name woke him from a sound sleep, jostling his nerves in the process.

"Ho there! Merlin, is it? What 'er yer' doin' there, lad? Didnae drop yer off at Ealdor jus' this morn'?"

It took a moment for Merlin to focus on the voice. There on the road in front of him was Odin Gillivray sitting atop his wagon. Merlin got up quickly still feeling a little out of sorts for having fallen into such a deep sleep and being wakened suddenly.

"Hello, Odin."

"Where yer headed now then, toaty lad?"

"Oh, uh, I'm headed back to Camelot." Merlin looked down the road to the north then back at the old man with a puzzled frown. "I thought you said you were headed down to West Shireton."

"Och, aye, lad, I been there. What abou' yer? No welcome at home then were yer?"

Merlin gathered up his pack shaking his head. "Not at all. I had a perfectly lovely visit with my mother, thanks."

The trader cocked his head as if wondering whether or not to believe the young man. "Then why be yer rushin' off so soon?"

Merlin should have been annoyed at the prying questions, but for some reason he wasn't. "I realized that I should never have left. I need to get back; I have a responsibility to... to someone there."

The man nodded knowingly. "I see. Well, lad, hop on board. I ken take yer as fer as Ithandin."

Merlin looked oddly at the man wondering how it was so fortunate to have the same trader come across him and offer a ride twice, but since his feet were still a little sore and he was obviously quite tired having fallen asleep like that, he accepted. This time, however, he climbed up next to Odin vowing to keep his head clear so he could figure out how they had covered so much distance the previous night.

Odin talked on and on again about his trade route and Merlin was finding it hard to keep his mind alert and listen to the old man. The sound of his voice and the swaying of the wagon served to deaden his mind and before he realized what had happened the young warlock had fallen asleep again with his head leaning against the trader. The next thing that Merlin knew, it was almost full dark and Odin had stopped the wagon off the side of the road.

"Merlin, lad. It's time to stop for a bit o' supper." Odin said, as he shook Merlin awake.

The young man looked around confused. "I must have fallen asleep again. Where are we?"

The trader had gotten down from the wagon and was rummaging around in the back for supplies. "We be abou' an hour this side o' Ithandin."

Merlin raised his eyebrows in shock. That was nearly all the way back to Camelot. "How did we get so far that fast?"

Odin didn't answer Merlin as he ambled over to a small clearing and began kicking the pine needles from the forest floor as he dropped cooking pots and utensils in a pile.

"Odin, if we are close to Ithandin..."

"Merlin, me lad, there be some wood over thar. Ken yer grab some fer the fire?" Odin spoke over him as he gathered some large rocks to put around the fire pit.

With the two working together to make the fire and prepare a meal Merlin didn't have much of a chance to question Odin about how far they had traveled and decided to let the question drop. It was pitch dark once the sun had fully set beyond the horizon, but the fire crackled with warm light giving a sense of safety and comfort. Odin made a meaty stew with thick broth and chunks of beef and vegetables. He also pulled out a loaf of bread that had a perfectly brown crust yet was fluffy and soft inside. The food was as fine as any Merlin had ever had, and he was thoroughly impressed with his traveling companion.

After having eaten, Odin handed Merlin a cup of mead and he sat back and lit a long pipe that he held tight between his teeth. They sat in companionable silence for awhile drinking from their cups. Merlin found the mead to be very pleasant if a bit strong.

"So tell me, young Merlin, wha' responsibility has yer travelin' all night to get back to?'

Merlin looked up at the old man sitting across the fire and noticed how old yet wise the features of Odin's face were. The firelight quite literally glowed in his eyes giving them an otherworldly feel. They looked gold in the light from the fire and reminded him of the Great Dragon's eyes for a moment.

"Do you believe in destiny, Odin?"

"Aye, lad, I do."

"Well I have a destiny to fulfill, and I thought that I couldn't do that anymore, because... something in my life changed drastically. I thought I had lost myself along with my destiny, but someone once told me that no one can choose their destiny and no one can escape it. I think that must be true, because no matter what I have to do, I know I have to try and fulfill that destiny or die trying."

"Why?"

Merlin took another sip of the mead and rested his chin on his hands. "Because I believe in that destiny. I believe that it is right and true, and if I fail then..." Merlin closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again they held a fierce resolve. "I can't fail; too much is riding on this. I have to make sure that I don't fail."

Odin just nodded as he watched the young man closely. It wasn't long before his eyes began to droop. The old trader got up and moved over to Merlin coaxing him to lie down and sleep. Within moments of the boy resting his head against his back pack he was fast asleep. Odin ambled off to the wagon and took out a warm blanket and brought it back, covering the sleeping youth with it.

"Sleep well, young warlock, for tomorrow we shall see if your resolution equals your discourse."

TBC

(1) Odin and Gillivray are old Scottish names with specific meanings.

Odin - In Norse mythology Odin was the highest of the gods, presiding over art, war, wisdom and death. He resided in Valhalla, where warriors went after they were slain.

Gillivray - Scottish - meaning Servant of Judgement


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Thank you for the well wishes for my son and myself. He responded to the anti-viral and is doing splendidly. I am also well, and did not end up with the virus.  
I just wanted to let folks know that my betas are wonderful and each of these chapters have been read-through several times. I tried to convey that Odin spoke with a heavy Scottish accent in that last chapter so his dialogue had several misspellings in order to convey that. If any misspellings still crept through beyond his dialogue that is completely my own fault and not that of my beta readers.

Just a note - This chapter occurs during the same span of time as chapter eight. This is what happened back in Camelot while Merlin was running off to Ealdor and back.

**Chapter Nine**

Gaius had been trying to coax Merlin out of his room, talking to his nephew through his closed door, when an urgent knocking put an end to his continuing appeal. A young woman whom Gaius recognized as the maid servant to Lady Maerwynn burst through the door as soon as he opened it.

"Please, sir, forgive me. My Lady has sent urgently for you. She is frightfully ill. She hasn't been able to keep her dinner down and has had to retire to her bed feeling faint and weak. She needs you to come immediately to her aid!" she wailed, in a plaintive voice. The girl was clearly distraught, wringing her hands and dancing around on the balls of her feet ready to bolt back through the door with the court physician in tow.

Gaius took a few moments to gather up appropriate stomach remedies as the young woman anxiously waited. He cast one last look behind him at Merlin's closed door and shook his head sadly before taking his supplies and following the woman out the door and to her Lady's rooms.

By the time Gaius returned to his own chambers it had grown very late. He ended up tending to not only the Lady Maerwynn but several other members of the gentry, all of whom had the same dinner. A trip down to the royal kitchens provided the answer to the rash of gastronomic distress that had afflicted much of the court when he found the remains of a shank of spoiled beef.

As he put his supplies away on their appropriate shelves he noticed that some of the stew was gone as well as a couple pieces of the bread he had left out, and he sighed with relief. At least Merlin had roused from his room long enough to eat something. Looking up at the still closed door the aging physician decided not to disturb him so late. The boy had been through so much trauma over the last week that it really wasn't a wonder that he was so distraught.

Gazing around his chambers at all of the books laying open everywhere in his quest to find some way to help his nephew drove a feeling of despair and futility through his heart. His years seemed to weigh far more heavily on him than ever before, and he sank wearily down on the edge of his bed. He knew that he had made a terrible mistake when he vowed to Merlin that he would find a way to restore his magic. Gaius had always been very careful not to make promises or pronouncements unless he knew with certainty that what he said was true. In Merlin's case he had allowed his personal feelings and desires to cloud his judgment. Yet at the time he honestly believed that there was a way to help the boy. The look on his nephew's face when Merlin overheard the conversation he had with Arthur haunted him. It was the look of someone who had given up hope, and had succumbed to despair. He had utterly failed Merlin, he realized, as he dropped his head into his hands.

For the first time in two decades, Gaius began to weep.

* * *

Arthur hadn't really expected to see Merlin show up the next morning after the reaction he had had to the conversation between Gaius and him, but he still hoped that his man servant would arrive. He wanted to talk to Merlin about the attack, and possibly find a way to bolster his spirits. After dawdling for nearly half an hour after the time Merlin would normally arrive, Arthur gave up waiting for him. He sighed and left his chambers deciding to head toward the dining hall to have breakfast with his father. He needed to discuss the king's continuing concerns about Merlin being enchanted and his fears of a magical attack on Camelot, as well as how those issues affected a new series of reports from the outlying villages about thieves stalking the main road through the kingdom.

When he entered the dining hall through the large double doors, Uther stopped eating and looked slightly stunned to see that Arthur had joined him there. Arthur gestured to the servant standing off to the side to fetch him a plate of food as he seated himself.

"Good morning, Your Majesty." Arthur said, rather formally.

Uther was immediately on guard. Arthur rarely if ever joined him for breakfast and the formal greeting told him that his son was not in a particularly good mood.

"Arthur, what brings you to take breakfast with your king this morning?"

Arthur recognized his father's attempt to remind him of his status between them but chose to ignore it.

"There are a few things that need to be discussed about the security of Camelot and the rest of the kingdom, Sire."

"Leave us." Uther said, with a dismissive wave of his hand to the servant who had just brought Arthur his breakfast. The young man bowed deeply and left the room leaving only father and son at the table.

Uther went back to his meal not saying anything. Arthur had played this game with his father all of his life and knew that the king was leaving the discussion open to Arthur waiting to see how he would begin.

"I know that you are still concerned about a magical attack on Camelot, and I agree that we need to be cautious. However, I am not of the opinion that what happened to Merlin is a prelude to an attack against the royal family."

Uther did not look directly at his son when he replied.

"Our court physician would agree with you, but his opinion is suspect due to the nature of his relationship with your man servant. However, in lieu of an attack against either Camelot or you..." when he mentioned Arthur, Uther looked up into his son's eyes. "...I tend to agree with your assumption, conditionally."

"Conditionally?" Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, conditionally. If something changes, if this kingdom or you are attacked or threatened in any way I will have no choice but to reevaluate Nimueh's intentions when she attacked your servant. Arthur, you cannot ignore that she attacked _your_ servant, not any other servant in the royal house hold, but your _personal_ servant."

Arthur was surprised to find that the king had finally relented somewhat in his concerns about Merlin's attack. He didn't know what Gaius had said to his father, but it seemed to have had an effect. His father made a valid point about the choice the sorceress made, and Arthur nodded toward the king. It was time to get on with what Arthur considered a more real and pressing threat to his kingdom's safety.

"There have been attacks along the main road between Camelot and Ithandin. Apparently a band of thieves have set up somewhere in the forest and are robbing travelers as they pass. Thus far no one has survived an attack so we do not have a description of the thieves or even know how many we are dealing with."

Uther dropped all pretense of the verbal sparring that he and Arthur were engaged in and sat forward.

"You need to take a contingent of knights out into the forest and ferret out these brigands. I will not have their like in this kingdom preying on the people."

Arthur was somewhat surprised that his father was going to let him out of the city considering his underlying concern about a sorceress' attack, but he wasn't about to question it.

"Yes, Sire. I want to stop by Gaius' chambers before I head out."

Uther shot a quick look at Arthur. "Are you ill as well?"

Arthur frowned in confusion. "Ill? No of course I'm not ill; what are you talking about?"

"Apparently some bad beef made quite a few people sick last night. Gaius informed me of the problem, and that he will be spending the entire morning tending to the people affected. You didn't have beef last night did you?"

Arthur was unaware that anyone was ill and he felt fine. "No, I had chicken actually."

"Then why do you need to see the court physician?" Uther asked, nonplussed.

Arthur's irritation at his father was apparent on his face. "I wanted to stop by and check on Merlin if you must know. It isn't every day that someone finds out that they were attacked by a sorceress, nearly killed, and then physically healed just so that they could live a life of misery due to some evil enchantment."

Arthur realized that he had said too much as he watched his father's face darken, but he had grown weary of the king's indifference toward anyone not of noble birth. "Merlin may just be a servant, but he is _my_ servant, and surprisingly, I actually would like to see him recover from this ordeal."

Uther adopted a dangerous tone that Arthur knew all too well. "Your servant will be fine under Gaius' care. The safety of the people of this kingdom is of far greater importance. One day when you are king, Arthur, you will understand the need to put aside your personal interests and feelings for the good of the kingdom."

The hypocrisy of that statement galled Arthur to his core. The words his father spoke may have been true enough, but king himself had repeatedly allowed his personal feelings, and in particular his fear and hatred of magic, to sway his judgment. So many instances came to mind that he could easily have argued the point, but to what end? The fact that his father didn't follow his own council didn't make the advice itself wrong, so Arthur clamped his mouth shut and rose from the table no longer interested in eating.

Uther continued to look at Arthur with a hard glare. "Since you are finished, I expect you and the knights of Camelot to leave forthwith in search of these thieves." His tone broached no argument.

"Sire." Arthur replied, before bowing stiffly then turning and storming out of the room.

* * *

Gaius had been kept exceptionally busy over the course of the day with more complaints of food poisoning arising from the gentry. Merlin had not gotten up yet when he needed to leave to check on his patients from the previous evening, so he left out some breakfast and the boy's morning elixir for the anemia. He wanted to get back by midday to check on his nephew, but the complaints kept coming and he had far too many patients to deal with. He even asked for one of the household servant staff to help be a runner for him back to his chambers for supplies once or twice throughout the day.

By the time he returned home, bone-tired and ready to collapse, it was nearly dusk. He walked into his chambers frowning at the fact that no candles were lit and the room sat quiet as the setting sun illuminated the far side of the room. He quickly lit some candles for better light and looked around the room. Merlin's breakfast sat on the table untouched, the boy's door remained closed and no sounds issued from anywhere within his chambers. A chill ran up the physician's spine as he approached the stairs leading up to his nephew's room. Gaius remembered the crushed look of betrayal on Merlin's face the previous afternoon and his stomach did a flip. The thought that he should have checked on Merlin before he left for the day ran through his mind as he climbed the steps to the young man's room.

He knocked on the door calling Merlin's name and got no answer. Placing his hand on the door latch, the old man hesitated for a moment, fearful of what he would find. He took a deep breath and shoved his anxiety down before opening the door and stepping through.

"Merlin?" Gaius called as he walked into the room. He looked to the bed and found it to be empty which sent a wave of relief through him that was so strong he felt slightly weak in the knees. He stepped over to the bed and sank down on it for a moment. Given the state of mind that Merlin was in the previous afternoon he had allowed himself to entertain the thought that his impulsive young nephew could have done something rash.

Gaius looked around the room which was almost Spartan, it was so bare. As a matter of fact there were no clothes, no bed roll, no back pack, no shoulder sack. Growing alarmed, Gaius got up and opened the one cupboard in the room to find it was also empty. The room looked much the way it had before Merlin arrived in Camelot.

"Oh, Merlin, you foolish boy. Where have you gone?" Gaius asked, himself.

He turned and left the room stepping back down into the common room just as a knock at the door before it swung open drew his attention. Arthur stepped into Gaius' chambers looking exhausted himself. Gaius assumed that from the look on the prince's face he had not found the thieves that were pillaging travelers on the main road.

"How's Merlin?" the prince asked, without preamble.

"I have no idea. He's gone." Gaius replied, in a heavy voice.

"Gone! What do you mean he's gone? Where did he go?" Arthur asked, alarmed.

Gaius was looking around to see if a note had been left, but he knew there wasn't any. He would have found it that morning if Merlin had left one. "He must have left last night when I was called away to tend the Lady Maerwynn."

Arthur sounded really frustrated now. "What do you mean he _must_ have left last night? Don't you know?"

"Sire, it was late when I got back last night, but it was clear that Merlin had eaten some of the stew and bread I left out. When I got up this morning I had to start early as even more of the court came down ill with food poisoning, so I left him some breakfast, but didn't disturb him. The food remains untouched and his room is empty. His backpack and clothes are gone, so I am assuming he left last night while I was attending the ill of the court. I have heard the rumors and I fear for his safety. He was upset, and if he is out there, he is completely defenseless against an attack from these marauders."

Arthur didn't want to think that Merlin was out in the forest alone any more than Gaius wanted to. "But there is a curfew! How could he get out of the city?"

For the first time in his life Arthur saw real fear creep into the old man's eyes. "He isn't in Camelot, Sire. What of the rumors of thieves robbing and killing unwary travelers? I know that you and the knights went out to find them today. Did you have any luck?"

Arthur knew that Merlin was about as unwary as they came and Gaius was right; Merlin would be defenseless against this band if he came across them. "No they haven't been caught yet. Do you have any idea where he would go?"

The physician sighed and sat down heavily on the stool near his work bench and looked up pleadingly at the Crowned-Prince. "He must have gone home, to Ealdor. It is the only other place he could go."

Arthur nodded in response to the unspoken request for assistance. "I have to give the king a report on our search for the thieves and then I'll head out and look for him."

Arthur gripped the old man's shoulder causing him to look up at the prince. "I promise you, Gaius, I will find him and bring him home."

Gaius knew that Arthur meant what he said. He had come through for Merlin before, but the report that these brigands were killing travelers disturbed Gaius. Merlin was utterly vulnerable without his magic and he knew that until Arthur returned with Merlin in tow he wouldn't be able to sleep.

* * *

To say that the king was upset that Arthur had not found the brigands would have been an understatement. When Arthur announced that he was about to ride out again in search of Merlin, Uther began shouting.

"There is a curfew in effect and I will not have my own son disobey my orders."

"But father, if Merlin is out there he has no way to protect himself from these thieves. They have killed everyone they have attacked!"

"Then you should have found them when you searched today so that your run away servant would be safe! Honestly, Arthur, I have no idea why you are so attached to this boy. He is without a doubt the worst servant you have ever had."

Arthur was beyond angry now and shouted right back at his father. "Well YOU are the one who appointed him to me in the first place. He isn't the worst servant I've ever had either, that Gillderoy chap was the worst. Merlin is just..."

Arthur stopped shouting for a moment as his own fear for his friend took over. "He's just Merlin, and he is very dear to our court physician. I promised Gaius that I would bring him home. I don't want to see him hurt any more than Gaius does and I intend to go and look for him!"

Uther was not going to allow anyone, including his own son, to dictate to him what happened within his own kingdom. "You will NOT break curfew or I will have you thrown in the dungeons!"

Arthur glared at the king willing him to back down, but knew that his father meant what he said. He would do Merlin no good if he wound up in the dungeons so he angrily stared at his father for another moment before turning on his heel and once again storming out of the room. The tension between Arthur and the king was growing, and being at odds with him so much was starting to wear on the young prince's nerves. Merlin was the one who had always advised Arthur not to tell his father the things he wanted to do and knew Uther would forbid. Why hadn't he learned from that example? He should never have told his father that he was going to ride back out to search for Merlin; now he had no choice but to wait for morning.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **A couple of folks including my beta – The Lady Isis - have remarked about the medical concepts in this story as being not that of medieval times. Normally I would tend to agree, but then again I nearly snorted coffee through my nose when I saw the episode "A Cure for All Ills" and Gaius and Edwin stood in the corridor talking to Uther about cerebral hemorrhages. The series seems to have sneaked in quite a few modernisms. For instance I'm not sure that being fired would be called "getting sacked" during Arthurian times, but it doesn't really take away from the enjoyment of the program.

Enjoy!  
Alice I

**Chapter Ten**

When Merlin woke up it was still early; the sun having barely crested the horizon. There was a small fire crackling away in the fire pit and a hot cup of tea sat on a flat stone next to it. Looking past the fire pit then out to the road the young man could find no sign of Odin or his cart; in fact to anyone else it would have appeared as though the boy had spent the night alone in the clearing by the side of the road. Merlin sat up and stretched looking around. Odin had obviously left quite recently because the tea by the fire was hot as was a bowl of porridge sitting on a second flat rock, but why had he left without either waking him or saying good bye? Merlin would have liked to have thanked the old trader properly for his help.

As he stood and stretched again, Merlin thought about the enigmatic old man who had given him a ride and shared a meal with him. The mead that Odin had given Merlin must have been stronger than he realized for his memory of the previous evening was somewhat fuzzy even though he had no trace of a headache to show for it. Merlin realized that he felt rested and relaxed, but more importantly he felt stronger than he had in days, weeks even. He looked at his hands and wondered if they were cold they way Gaius had said. The color looked quite good as far as he could tell and he certainly felt energetic enough. He wasn't even sore from sleeping on the hard ground. Smiling to himself he remarked to the forest in general, "That really was some bloody effective mead."

Taking the bowl of porridge that Odin left for him, Merlin found himself once again surprised at how good the food tasted. He had never been very fond of the grainy breakfast food, but this porridge was smooth and creamy. He was thoroughly impressed by the quality of food the old man was able to make, especially out on the road. As he ate the breakfast Odin had left for him, Merlin suddenly realized that he had not had the nightmare again. The images that had plagued his sleep were gone, or at least not disturbing his slumber any more. He thought back and realized that he had also not had the dream when he slept in the back of Odin's cart on the way to Ealdor. Maybe finding out that the dream was real was what he needed to get the images out of his dreams and into a place where he could deal with them. What ever the reason, he was glad for it and felt almost giddy with energy, having slept well for the first time in almost a week.

When he finished with his breakfast he found a water flask sitting on the far side of his backpack that didn't belong to him. He picked it up curiously wondering why Odin would leave it when he already had one of his own. Thinking that this was very peculiar, Merlin opened the flask left by the old man and sniffed at it then smiled when he realized it was filled with more of the mead. He placed the flask in his pack and began to kick dirt over the fire to extinguish it. He had a long walk to get beck to Camelot but thanks to Odin if he started now, he might make it there by midday.

Not long after he had broken camp and began the rest of his trek south, Merlin saw two farmers walking along the road pulling a cart filled with hay going in the opposite direction. He smiled and bade them a good morning as he drew closer, but the men cast suspicious looks at him and only nodded brusquely as they picked up their pace. Merlin noticed that both men held farming implements in their hands as they walked along. One held a scythe tightly clenched in one fist as though he were ready to use it while the other held a sickle. He got the very distinct impression that these farmers were holding the tools as though they were weapons rather than implements of gathering the harvest. He shook his head slightly as they passed him, taken aback by their unfriendly manner. He glanced over his shoulder as they moved off down the road and noticed that the farmers also looked back at him and didn't put their weapons back in the cart until they were a good distance away.

The odd behavior of the farmers faded from his mind as he continued to walk along for it was a beautiful day, and the temperature was far more moderate than it had been of late. He was still troubled by his situation but the fresh air of the forest surrounding him and the birdsong in the trees lifted his spirits making he feel more like himself than he had in over a week. It didn't take long for Merlin to realize that when Odin had said they were about an hour outside of Ithandin that the old man was referring to an hour in walking distance. Merlin was tall and had a long stride so he covered ground fairly quickly and less than an hour after he broke camp he came upon the road leading straight into Ithandin. He stopped and peered down the road as far as he could see before a natural rise in the landscape cut off his view. No one was on the roads, either the one leading to Ithandin or the main road through the kingdom leading to Camelot.

It was strange that he saw no one traveling the roads. Farmers who would have risen before the sun in the outlying villages should have been moving their carts filled with summer crops to the cities to sell in the market places by this hour. Merlin looked back the way he had come then forward toward home and saw no one at all. A chill crept up his spine as he thought about the only two travelers he _had_ seen. In retrospect he realized that they were acting skittish, or frightened. The roads were empty as though no one wanted to venture out onto them. Perhaps there was a reason for them to be so devoid of people. That thought made him look questioningly at the surrounding forest. Only a short while ago the woods seemed beautiful and peaceful, but now the shadows he saw lurking within the densely packed trees seemed to hold a sinister feel. The young warlock griped his own pack tighter and quickened his pace.

As he continued on his way he came across a few other people traveling along the main road and all of them seemed to be hurrying along their way, although one elderly woman and a middle aged man walking with her did stop to talk when Merlin asked them for information.

"Excuse me, but can you tell me what has everyone so nervous?" Merlin asked, as the couple approached him. He figured that the man might be willing to talk to him since it was obvious that Merlin would be no match for him if they were to end up in any kind of altercation.

"I'd tell you to get to where ever you are headed as quickly as you can." The broad man answered. "There are a band of brigands roaming the roads robbing and killing anyone they find."

Merlin's eyes grew wide with this information. He had heard nothing of this, although admittedly he had been wrapped up in his own troubles for some time. "How long has this been going on?"

"I don't know the answer to that. I can only tell you that at least three people have been robbed and murdered over the last week right along this very road. Traveling alone is a bad idea, young man, for they seem to target sole travelers. Where are you headed?"

Merlin didn't like the sound of that at all. Without his magic he was practically defenseless. "I'm headed to Camelot."

"That's at least five hours by the main road. You may want to consider cutting through Knavesmire Wood. It would take at least an hour off your travel time."

Merlin thanked the man for the information and hurried along, now nervous and wary. He could hear the elderly woman arguing with the man, who addressed her in return as 'mother', for advising him to travel through the forest to shorten his trip. Merlin, however, actually agreed with the man about cutting through the Knavesmire Wood. If the attacks had occurred along the common traveling routes he might actually be safer in the forest.

* * *

Arthur was awake at first light and anxious to get moving. Not only had he promised Gaius that he would find Merlin, but he needed to make sure that the search for the thieves continued where they had left off the previous day. After a hasty breakfast brought to his chambers by one of the royal guard he went down to the practice field where the knights were gathering. Rather than the six knights Arthur took out searching yesterday, Uther had ordered that the number be doubled based on the lack of results. Arthur wanted to get things underway quickly so briefing the newcomers entailed only a mention of the previously searched area.

"We scoured the forest between here and Ithandin yesterday with no luck. These thieves are obviously moving around to avoid capture based on the old campfires we found yesterday and the abandoned shelter near Ithandin, so we need to head in multiple directions this time. We must find these men today before they can harm anyone else. Borin, take Rowan, Fendrel, and Brom and head toward Glastonbury. Hadrian, Crewe, Geoffrey, and William head west toward the lake and the rest search east toward Caerleon."

A round of "Yes, Sire." followed Arthur's instructions. They all walked to the royal stables to collect their horses and Arthur fielded several questions on the way, but the one that irritated him was when Sir Geoffrey asked where his servant was when he saw Arthur saddling up his own horse. Geoffrey was one of the knights present when Merlin fainted at the armory and his question about Merlin set the prince's nerves on edge.

"You know that Merlin has been ill of late, and in any case I am perfectly capable of saddling my own horse." Arthur tone was sharper than he had intended, but he paid no mind to the look on Geoffrey's face. He should have known better than to ask such a question in the first place.

As the knights of Camelot rode through the city to the gates, Arthur slowed when he saw Gaius in the main courtyard. He nodded to the physician trying to convey confidence. He would find Merlin and bring him home. Arthur rode out with the other knights until they got to a point a mile or two from the city where they separated into their assigned groups. As Arthur rode off toward Ithandin, Sir Borin called out.

"Sire, you head north?"

Arthur pulled his reins and trotted back to Borin and his group. "I will check the abandoned came we came across yesterday."

Borin frowned not knowing why the prince wanted to cover ground they had already been through. "Then take Fendrel with you at least, Sire. Brom, Rowan and I can still search toward Glastonbury."

Arthur looked at the men with Borin and shook his head. He lowered his voice so that only Borin could hear him. "No, I don't want to split up the groups. The truth of it is I'm looking for someone who left yesterday and headed north. It is a personal favor to a friend of the court. If he has run afoul of these thieves..." Arthur didn't want to finish that statement. He had promised Gaius that he would bring Merlin back home, but the brigands had not left anyone alive to identify them so far.

"Sire, all the more reason to take someone with you." Borin insisted, in a quiet voice.

"No, Borin, I'm sure that nothing has happened. After all, the evidence we found yesterday showed that these thieves have moved on and it is you and your group who will need to stay sharp. I'll join you as soon as I can."

Borin nodded in acknowledgement, "Yes, Sire." He turned back to his contingent of men and they rode off toward the south and Glastonbury while Arthur headed north toward Ithandin.

Arthur knew that Merlin would most likely have kept to the forest while he was still close to Camelot, especially considering he had run away. Getting out after Curfew wasn't impossible, but it must have been very difficult. He tried to put himself in Merlin's place to figure out what path he would have taken, but he found it difficult to think differently than he would himself. Arthur was an excellent tracker but more than twenty four hours had passed since his servant had left the city and most traces of his path would have been wiped out by time and other travelers, not to mention the teeming wild life within the forest.

He thought he had picked up a likely trail not very far from the city but realized that it wasn't his missing man servant he had been tracking when he came across a used campfire that had been abandoned sometime during the morning. There were still warm embers underneath the dirt that had been kicked over the fire. He found foot prints that belonged to at least two different people proving that it wasn't a trail that would lead to Merlin, but it could have been left by the knight's quarry. Arthur paused for a moment trying to decide if he should go back and catch up with one of the parties he had sent searching the other areas around Camelot. If the thieves were still occupying the forest between Camelot and Ithandin to the north he could end up facing them alone and outnumbered. He now questioned his decision to not take at least one of his knights with him.

Arthur looked around the area to see if he could determine which direction the camp's occupants had gone and a trail of foot prints and broken branches clearly lead through the forest north and parallel to the main road. He may be alone, but he was Camelot's best fighter and he had the element of surprise on his side, so he got back on his horse and began to follow the trail north looking and listening intently for signs of either his wayward servant or the thieves plaguing the land.

It wasn't long before the undergrowth of the forest became too dense to pass easily on horseback so he veered to the left and took up the trek on the main road again. The morning air was cooler, if only by a few degrees, than it had been in weeks, which Arthur was grateful for. During the heat wave he had usually opted for a light linen shirt and trousers, but during their searches he wore his chain mail like the rest of his knights. Within an hour of riding even in the more moderate temperature of the day he began to feel the weight of his chain mail and tunic as sweat plastered his underclothes to his body, but he ignored the discomfort.

Arthur decided that sticking to the main road is what Merlin most likely would have done since he had left at night and would not be able to travel very effectively in the dark. Merlin was hopelessly clumsy, and he would have broken his neck trying to navigate the uneven forest floor without the benefit of daylight. The discovery of the recent camp fire still weighed on his mind when he saw the path off to his left that lead through Knavesmire Wood. It was a shorter distance to travel when headed north and he wondered if either Merlin or the thieves would have ventured through the wood. When this area was searched yesterday the knights had searched the east side of the forest along the road not venturing too closely to Knavesmire Wood. On instinct he kicked his heels into his horse's sides and entered the path leading through the forest.

As soon as he had lost sight of the main road the forest seemed to grow quieter bringing his senses to full alert. Something here felt off and he stopped and looked around the dense woods surrounding him. A slight flutter of wings ahead by a hundred yards and off to his left drew his attention. Suddenly he heard a man scream.

"Help!"

Arthur drew his sword and raced toward the sounds of distress at a fast gallop. The screaming continued, spurring him on faster. As he came around a thick patch of trees when the path turned sharply to the right someone jumped out in front of his horse causing the animal to rear up on its hind legs and Arthur had to hold the reins tightly to keep from being thrown. A second man was lurking in the trees not far beyond and waited for his moment. As the prince's horse reared up he shot the animal in the chest with a crossbow killing the horse instantly and causing it to fall completely over backward. Arthur dropped his sword as he tried to jump off of his horse, but it was too late. The one thousand pound horse keeled over backward taking Arthur with it and landed solidly on his left leg. He screamed in agony as he felt the bones in his lower leg snap like a brittle twigs.

"Excellent shot, Evan! We struck gold today. It looks like we've nabbed one of the royal guard or better yet one of the venerated knights of Camelot!"

The man who had shot the arrow climbed down from the tree he was perched in and approached casually. "So knight, are yeah out looking for us then?"

Arthur clamped down on his tongue to keep from screaming again as pain shot through his leg and threatened to render him unconscious. He reached for his second short sword on his right hip but Evan reached him first and easily took it. "Oh I don't think you'll be needin' this my Lord."

The first man was walking over toward the downed horse when his cohort stopped dead in his tracks. Evan looked more closely at Arthur as he fingered the short sword he had taken and his eyes opened wide. "This is no knight, Gavin. This here is none other than Arthur Pendragon, Crown-Prince of Camelot."

* * *

Merlin left the road not long after his encounter with the man and his mother and headed for Knavesmire Wood. Along the way he picked up a stout branch that was heavy and about as long as his arm to use as a weapon if necessary. The canopy of leaves and branches overhead only allowed dappled sunlight to filter through the trees and gave a closed feeling to the surrounding forest causing normal sounds to seem louder as he tried to make his way through the trees as silently as possible.

Once Merlin entered the Knavesmire Wood he quickened his pace a little more. He knew the area well enough, but found that he jumped at every sound and he began to wish he had stuck to the road. This gnawing sense of fear was so foreign to the young man because he always knew he could use magic to get him out of most situations. Now that he could no longer call on it as a form of defense, he truly understood how frightening the world must seem to ordinary people. His thoughts were interrupted when a deer jumped out in front of him as he passed by a huge gnarled old oak tree startling him so much he fell backward landing hard and dropping his branch. He instinctively tried to call forth magic as a shield and while not surprised that nothing happened, it deepened his sense of exposure in a harsh world filled with unseen dangers. Once he got his heart to stop racing he picked up his only weapon with shaky hands and got up deciding that jogging a little might not be a bad idea.

The fundamental problem with Merlin jogging through the forest was the fact that he was not particularly sure footed. The pack on his back did not help his balance at all, and by the third time he had tripped over a tree root or fallen branch and tumbled forward landing flat on his face he decided that perhaps running was more dangerous to his well being than the possibility of facing an unknown band of thieves. Stopping to catch his breath, the young man looked around and realized that this would be an unlikely place for thieves to encounter some unsuspecting traveler and felt a little better about choosing to take this route. If these brigands were targeting people to rob they would probably stick close to the main road. That man had said that the last three people who had run afoul of these men had been on the main road and he decided that perhaps he would stay within the cover of the trees even when he came out the other side of the Knavesmire Wood.

Once he had caught his breath, and still holding the branch he had picked up tightly, he began to walk through the trees toward the road south to Camelot. As he walked he heard birds chirping in the trees as well as small animals skittering around on the forest floor or up in the branches, no longer feeling startled by the normal noises the forest should have. He even stopped for a moment as he watched two brown squirrels chase each other round and round the trunk of a large maple tree. Their playful antics actually brought a smile to his face before he moved off and continued walking.

The sense of calm that slowly began to replace the striking fear was shattered with the sound of a desperate cry for help somewhere off in the distance. Merlin stopped dead in his tracks and listened hard. It was a man's voice he heard screaming for help and after only a moment's hesitation he gripped the branch tighter and began running, albeit carefully so as not to fall again, in the direction of the cries. As he drew nearer he heard a horse's whinny followed by a scream of pain in a voice he recognized only too well, and his heart clenched in horror. He slowed down long enough to drop his pack and then sprinted through the dense trees, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he pushed forward. Merlin had never heard Arthur scream like that, but he still recognized the voice as belonging to the Crown-Prince. An eagle overhead seemed to echo Arthur's scream sending a shiver down Merlin's spine.

He could now hear voices echoing through the forest not far ahead and he slowed, looking around. He had his branch but there were at least two men's voices. He was not a skilled fighter, and he had no magic to draw upon. The safest thing to do would be to turn and run in the opposite direction, but that thought never even formed in the young man's mind. He needed to save Arthur from these men who had murdered everyone that they attacked. He saw some fist sized rocks covered in soft moss next to a large tree and scooped one up as he moved closer.

Peering around the trunk of one of the large deciduous trees, Merlin took in the situation. Arthur was alive, and he breathed a sigh of relief. His horse was lying on its side on top of Arthur's left leg. His right leg was on top of the fallen horse leaving his hands free and he was trying to reach for his short sword on his right hip, but the man closest to him grabbed it from him first taunting him as he danced nimbly out of Arthur's reach. Arthur tried to trip the man only to grunt in excruciating pain, and Merlin realized that his leg underneath the horse must be broken.

The man closest to Arthur who had taken his sword peered more closely at the fallen man before he looked at his partner who was approaching from the other side of the dead animal.

"This is no knight, Gavin. This here is none other than Arthur Pendragon, Crown-Prince of Camelot." he said, with a hint of alarm in his voice.

The other man stopped and lifted up the saddle pack that dislodged when the horse had been shot and began looking through it carefully. "Evan, I do believe you are correct. Now isn't that interesting, what are you doing out all alone, Your Highness?"

Arthur ground his teeth against the pain and spat out. "You will be executed for this! The rest of the knights of Camelot are already on their way!"

Gavin turned to face the direction of the main road which was several hundred yards off through the trees, but heard nothing except the breeze and Arthur's panting breaths. "I don't really think that will be a problem, Sire, since you will be dead long before anyone could get here."

Merlin gripped the stone and the branch tightly and crept closer keeping a thick wild rhododendron bush between himself and the men. He may not be much of a fighter but he knew he could throw a rock with accuracy if he were close enough. Evan was pacing back and forth just out of Arthur's reach examining the blade of the short sword.

"This is a fine blade, I think I shall enjoy using it to kill you, unless..." the man paused looking around, and soon spotted Arthur's sword laying just behind him. "Here, Gavin, you can have this one." he said, and he tossed the short sword over to his partner. "Oh yeah, this one will do very nicely as well." he said, as he stepped away from Arthur and closer to Merlin to retrieve the broad sword.

Merlin froze behind the dense foliage praying that Evan wouldn't notice him there. If he were to have any success at saving Arthur from these two, he needed the element of surprise. Evan picked up the fallen sword and turned away from Merlin then moved back toward Arthur, while Gavin was busy looking through the saddle bag for other treasures or gold. This was the only opportunity he would get, so Merlin quietly stepped out from behind the bush and moved closer to the group keeping his eye on Gavin. If the man looked up he would see Merlin and it would be all over.

Arthur saw Merlin approach and his mouth opened wide in shock but he was able to cover the expression with a grimace as pain shot through his leg again. Merlin took careful aim at Gavin's head and threw the rock as hard as he could. As soon as the stone left his hand he ran forward and gripping the branch with both hands he swung at Evan's head connecting with a solid thunk that sent the man flying backward. Evan dropped Arthur's sword and Merlin bent to scoop it up, tossing the branch aside. He glanced at Evan noting that he was out cold, but Gavin was in the process of getting up and holding his head as blood ran from a gash in his temple. Merlin saw that he was reaching for the short sword and he ran forward brandishing Arthur's sword in an unwieldy manner. Gavin turned on him and saw how clumsily Merlin was holding the sword and laughed at him.

"Oh you've gone and done it now, boy. You will die before I kill your prince." He jeered, as he wiped blood from his eyes and began to circle Merlin like a cat ready to pounce on its prey.

Merlin tried to hold the sword the way Arthur had shown him, but the thing was quite a bit heavier than the practice swords they had used and it felt awkward in his hands. "I won't let you to hurt him." Merlin said, in a strong voice that held conviction, which surprised Gavin.

"You must be mad, boy. You would die to protect him?" Gavin asked, as he lunged at Merlin with the short sword.

Merlin anticipated the move and brought Arthur's sword down in a diagonal motion to successfully parry the blow. The sound of metal striking metal almost drowned out Merlin's reply.

"Yes."

The heavier and longer blade that Merlin had was a distinct advantage and the fact that the boy was tall and had long arms gave him a longer striking zone. Gavin was forced to move back a step as he considered his next move. He didn't know how skilled this boy was. He didn't seem to have the slightest idea how to properly swing a sword, yet he had adopted a solid defensive stance showing that he had at the very least gotten some sort of instruction at some point in his life. He needed to distract the boy to be able to get in close enough to strike without being impaled himself.

"Why would you die for him? What has he ever done for you, boy?"

Merlin matched each of Gavin's steps as he had done during his lesson with Arthur. "It doesn't matter. All you need to know is that I'll die before I let you hurt him."

Gavin smiled wickedly. "Suits me just fine, boy."

Arthur couldn't really see what was happening because the body of the horse blocked his view. He tried to sit up to see over the animal and supporting his upper body with his hands behind him he was able to see Merlin and Gavin from the shoulders up. "He's trying to distract you, Merlin. Remember what I taught you about turning a parry into a blow. You have the longer blade."

Merlin knew what Gavin was trying to do, and he watched his opponent carefully staying out of range of the shorter weapon. The man clearly knew how to handle a sword which made him a much more dangerous adversary.

"So you know the prince, do you, boy. Do you hope to become a knight some day; is that it?"

Merlin saw the hungry look in Gavin's eye as he advanced with a vicious attack. The man swung the short sword down in a quick arc but Merlin was able to meet that blow by raising his arms and turning his weapon horizontal. As their blades met with a loud clang he felt the reverberation down his arms. He tried to rotate his sword to place the flat surface against the short sword, but Gavin anticipated the beginner's move and raised the short sword straight up then back down with brutal force and speed causing Merlin to almost lose his grip on the hilt of the long sword.

Gavin took advantage of the split second it took Merlin to get a better grasp on the hilt of his sword and dodged forward trying to get under Merlin's guard and pierce him through the chest. Merlin reacted instinctively, and brought his arms down quickly; bending at the elbows. He managed to deflect Gavin's thrust with his sword hilt as he twisted his upper body the way he had seen Arthur do in their training session. Gavin pulled back quickly cutting a gash in the young man's forearm, but Merlin hardly noticed. He stepped back quickly and nearly tripped over a rock causing his arms to fly in an uncontrolled upward motion. The tip of the longer sword swung up with Merlin's hands as he cart wheeled his arms trying to maintain his balance, cutting a deep wound in Gavin's cheek from the corner of his mouth almost to his eye.

Merlin was so busy trying to keep his feet that he didn't even realize at first that he had injured the other man until he heard the scream of fury and pain. Gavin brought his hand up to his cheek and pulled it away covered in fresh blood.

"You'll pay for that, boy!" he shouted. In his anger he ran straight at Merlin swinging the short sword in quick slashing motions.

Merlin had gained his balance and kept his eye on the sword coming at him parrying each blow the best he could while backing up as the older man advanced with a brutally savage attack. As their positions changed with Merlin backing up, Arthur could now see both of the men fighting and realized that his servant wouldn't last very much longer. He didn't have the skill to defend against the frenzied attack for any length of time and every second brought the young man closer to his death. Arthur could see the branch that Merlin had used to knock out Evan just beyond his reach, and threw his body as far as he could off to the left reaching for the branch. Agony seared through his leg but he gritted his teeth through the pain and closed his hand around the end of the branch. Using every ounce of strength he could muster he threw the branch straight at Gavin's head while shouting, "Merlin, down!"

The branch flew end over end straight at the dueling pair. Merlin dropped to a low crouch holding his sword up in front of him with his left hand holding the blade like he did the training staff to block yet another downward blow from his opponent as the wood sailed over his head and clipped Gavin square in the face. Unlike the training staff the blade of Arthur's sword cut into the flesh of Merlin's ungloved hand when the blades met while Arthur fell back as the pain in his leg threatened to overcome him. Merlin hopped back up on his feet completely ignoring the wound in the palm of his hand, and pursued the man who had screamed in pain as the branch broke his nose. Even though he had staggered backward, Gavin had somehow managed to keep his sword. The fighters were once again blocked by the body of the horse, but Arthur wouldn't have seen them anyway as he fought to remain conscious.

Gavin was dazed and shaking his head trying to clear his vision. Merlin faced him in a decent offensive stance and raised his arms above his head to strike not realizing that Evan had regained consciousness and was creeping up behind him. As Merlin pulled his arms back to strike, his right elbow struck Evan hard on the bridge of his nose right where the branch had struck him earlier. Not expecting to hit anything, Merlin was caught off guard and looked over his shoulder to see Evan fall to the ground once again unconscious with blood literally pouring from his now twice broken nose.

While Merlin was distracted by Evan, Gavin regained enough of his senses to take advantage, and thrust his sword forward under the boy's raised arms. He aimed to pierce him through the middle of Merlin's body but his eyesight was fuzzy from the blow by the branch and his sword missed its mark piercing the young man off to the left side of his torso. Merlin cried out in shock and pain instinctively bringing his arms down in a fast slicing motion only marginally aware that he was still holding Arthur's sword. The length of the blade and his proximity to Gavin was the brigand's undoing. As Merlin's blade came down it cut diagonally across Gavin's chest ending at the mid point of his abdomen. The pain in Merlin's side coursed through his entire body and he lost his balance leaning forward, inadvertently running Gavin through. As the man toppled backward he still had a firm grasp of the short sword and it pulled out of Merlin's body as Gavin fell backward.

Merlin had let go of the sword he was using to clap his hands over the wound in his side, not fully aware that he had killed his opponent as he dropped to his knees, the world spinning wildly. He was breathing hard from pain and exertion and he just knelt there on the forest floor for a few minutes trying to regain his senses. Looking up, he saw Gavin lying flat on his back with Arthur's sword sticking up out of the middle of his body and Merlin frowned not knowing how he had managed to defeat his opponent. He didn't really remember stabbing the man. Then he thought about the other man, Evan. He turned his head quickly and looked over his shoulder but Evan also lay unmoving.

"Merlin! Merlin, what's happening?"

It took a moment for Merlin to register that Arthur was calling him. He looked down at his side seeing blood staining his tunic. He raised up his shirt and saw the wound where Arthur's short sword had pierced his side. It was about an two inches long from top to bottom and looked remarkably unimpressive except for a constant trickle of blood seeping from it. Gingerly he reached around to his back and felt a similar wound where the sword had gone through. He knew that he had to stop the bleeding before he passed out, but didn't know what he should do about it. He looked around and the only thing he could think to use was the jacket that Evan wore. He grabbed the short sword that remained in Gavin's lifeless fingers and crawled over to the unconscious man and wrestled the light tan jacket off of Evan. Using the short sword he cut the jacket along the body underneath the arms until he had a large rectangle of cloth which he folded up to use as a bandage pressing it against his side and wrapping it so that the wounds in the front and back were covered. Then he twisted the rest of the jacket into a wide strip that he wrapped around his waist before tying the arms together at his right side as tightly as he could. He bit down hard to keep from crying out in pain, but couldn't hold back the sharp hiss of breath as pain shot through his body.

"Merlin! What is it?" Arthur called frantically.

"Arthur? Are you alright?" Merlin gasped through clenched teeth.

"What happened to the man you were fighting?" Arthur's voice sounded strained as he tried to move so that he could see past his horse.

Merlin looked once again at the body of the man who had only moments before tried to kill him then he looked at Evan. "He's dead. Gavin is dead but the other one, Evan, he's just knocked out." Merlin replied, in a more controlled voice. The makeshift bandage was tight enough that it held his vertical wounds closed and had effectively stopped the bleeding. He made sure his tunic was pulled down over the bandage he had fashioned for himself before trying to move.

"Hang on Arthur, I'm coming."

Merlin took a deep breath and forced himself to stand up. He wobbled for a moment as he gained his equilibrium then staggered over to the dead horse and looked at Arthur from over the top of it. "We need to get you out from under the horse."

Arthur's face was covered in sweat and his eyes were filled with pain. "No, you need to tie up the one who is unconscious, before he wakes up. Use the saddle straps or the reins from the horse. Make sure you tie his arms behind his back as well as his legs."

Merlin looked at the saddle straps but decided the reins would work better and would be easier to get off the dead animal. Once he had removed the reins and cut them from the bridle he moved back to Evan. Tying his legs and his arms behind his back would be easy enough but he still worried that the man would get loose and come after them, so he dragged the man over to a tree nearby and propped him up into a sitting position. He pulled the man's arms around behind the tree and started tying them together even as Evan began to stir. Rather than tie the man's legs as well, Merlin decided it would be better to double tie his arms to ensure he couldn't get free.

He was breathing heavily by the time he finished but upon inspecting his wound he could see that the bandage was holding and the wound had not started bleeding again. When he finally made his way back to Arthur the prince was looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You killed a skilled swordsman and knocked out the other. Merlin, you never cease to amaze me."

The praise took the young man by surprise and he couldn't help smiling. "Yes, well my efforts won't do us any good unless we can get you out from under this beast."

Merlin knelt down next to Arthur and tried to shift the animal causing pain to shoot through Arthur's leg.

"Stop! Merlin, you idiot, this horse weighs about a thousand pounds, you can't move it! You'll have to go back to Camelot and get help."

Merlin looked down at Arthur then around at their surroundings. "I'm not leaving you here."

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Arthur screwed up his face in a grimace of agony and frustration. "You can't move the horse and even if you could, I can't walk. My leg is broken. You have to go get help."

Merlin shook his head refusing to leave Arthur. "No, Arthur, we have no idea if there is anyone else out here. You're trapped with no way to protect yourself."

Merlin sat back and quickly scanned the area looking for a solution to the problem. He spotted a dish sized flat rock off to the right. "I'll just have to dig you out from under the horse."

Merlin skittered across the ground and grabbed the rock then crawled back and began scraping the hard packed earth next to Arthur's trying to be careful not to touch the prince's leg.

"Merlin, even if you do get me out from under this horse how are you going to get me back to Camelot, I can't walk on this leg?"

Arthur's argument didn't dissuade Merlin as he continued to dig a trench along side the prince's injured limb. "We'll find some way to splint it, you can lean on me or hop on your good leg, or, or..."

"Or what, Merlin? You going to carry me all the way back to Camelot on your back? Arrgh, be careful will you?" Arthur shouted, as some ground gave way underneath his broken leg causing it to shift slightly.

"I don't know, I'll do what ever I have to, but I'm NOT leaving you here."

Arthur sat up realizing that Merlin was resigned to this course of action. He planned to reach under the horse and brace his leg as the young man continued to dig when he saw that Merlin's right arm was dripping with blood as was his left hand.

"Merlin! You're injured." Arthur exclaimed.

Merlin glanced down at his waist wondering if he had begun to bleed again when Arthur grabbed his right arm and turned it over so that his palm was facing up. His tunic sleeve was torn and a deep gash ran at least four inches down the length of his forearm oozing blood. Merlin hadn't even realized that his arm had been cut until that moment, and he stared at the wound feeling somewhat detached from what he was seeing. He reached over to his arm with his left hand which was also covered with blood from the cut he sustained while holding Arthur's sword above his head to block a blow from the short sword. The cut on his hand was not very deep, and wasn't bleeding profusely.

"Good Lord, Merlin, you need to get these bandaged."

Merlin reached up and took off his scarf and wrapped it around his arm. Arthur had to tie the ends together to affix it tightly. Once the scarf was tied tightly around Merlin's forearm the young man stood up and moved off through the woods.

"Merlin! Where are you going?" Arthur called after him alarmed by his hasty exit.

So far Arthur hadn't noticed the wound in his side, and Merlin wanted to keep it that way. If the prince knew about it, he would have ordered Merlin to leave him and return to Camelot on his own. He found his backpack where he had dropped it and rummaged through it looking for his brown jacket before he ran back with his pack to Arthur. He pulled the flask of mead out and handed it to Arthur.

"Here drink a bit of this. It should help a little with the pain."

Arthur looked at Merlin questioningly then sniffed experimentally at the flask. When he smelled the contents he raised his eyebrows and stared at his servant for a moment then took a swallow of the mead. He immediately began to feel warmth radiate throughout his body and the muscles in his leg relaxed a little.

"Where did you get this?" Arthur asked, handing the flask back.

"An old trader gave it to me. Look just lay back and try to relax."

Merlin set the flask back into his pack then picked up the rock again and began digging while Arthur lay on his back as the young man worked. It didn't take Merlin very long to get enough dirt removed to drag Arthur out. Then he sat back panting with the exertion as he dropped the rock and reached up to wipe sweat from his brow.

"Merlin, why did you tell that man - erm, Gavin, that you would die before you let him hurt me?"

Merlin dropped his hand and looked incredulously at Arthur. "You know..." he began exasperated, then stopped and took a calming breath at Arthur's expression. "Did it ever occur to you that if he thought I was willing to do anything to protect you, he might just back off?"

The look on Arthur's face was a mixture between shock, disbelief and exasperation. "You're not serious? No, Merlin it didn't. You really are an idiot!"

"Yeah well, you're welcome. Now let's get you out of here shall we?" Merlin got up and moved behind Arthur as he sat up and grabbed him under his shoulders. "Use your right leg and push." Merlin instructed.

Merlin pulled while Arthur pushed off the horse with his good leg and screamed in pain when his leg dropped down into the ditch that Merlin dug as it slid out from under the horse. With a mighty effort Merlin dragged Arthur back and away from the horse and laid him down since the prince had nearly passed out with the pain of the move.

Merlin immediately started looking around for anything he could use as a split to hold Arthur's leg steady. There were thick branches scattered around the area and he quickly found two that were about the same size, relatively straight, and almost as long as Arthur's lower leg. He would need to tie them on with something and opted to use the saddle straps which he cut off with Arthur's belt knife. Arthur was coming around as he placed the branches on either side of the prince's leg and fed the cut straps underneath.

"This is going to hurt." He said apologetically.

"Just do it." Arthur said, as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

Merlin fastened the straps wincing as Arthur cried out in pain. He made sure the splint was secure and waited for Arthur's breathing to slow down.

"You okay?"

At first Arthur just nodded, not really having the voice to speak, but after a moment he drew a ragged breath and said, "Yeah, I'm alright. Come on help me up. Let's see if this is going to work."

It took them a couple of tries to get Arthur up and on his feet, but once he was up and got his balance on his good leg he felt a little better. The heavy branches were holding his leg straight even though they were shorter than his calf. Arthur threw his left arm over Merlin's shoulders while Merlin supported him around the waist taking as much of his weight as he could.

"Well, it's going to be a bloody long walk, so we'd better get going." Arthur said, and he began to hop on his good leg and lean heavily on Merlin as they left the horse and the brigands behind and headed toward the main road and Camelot.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **I wanted to acknowledge Shihan Randy Crudup once more for his input on the training and fighting scenes. I got a couple of lovely reviews that specifically mentioned those elements.  
Thank you all for your reviews. They are wonderful to get and they make the writing and the time put into that writing so much more rewarding.

**Chapter Eleven **

Even though Arthur had only ridden into the Knavesmire Wood by about three hundred yards, it took Merlin and Arthur nearly an hour to traverse the uneven ground riddled with branches, tree roots, squirrel holes and other hazards designed to take their feet out from under them. Arthur tried very hard to bear up through the pain of attempting to hop on his good leg, but found it more tiring than he had expected. Once they made the main road he had to take a rest and sit for a while as his left leg throbbed mercilessly.

"Hey, Merlin, where is that mead? It actually helped a bit with the pain."

Merlin smiled a little at that. "I imagine it did, but be careful - it's stronger than it tastes. I barely remember my conversation with Odin last night, and I won't be able to carry you all the way back to Camelot if you get snookered."

Merlin dug the flask out of his pack and handed it to Arthur who took it gratefully.

"Who is Odin?" Arthur asked, after taking a long pull from the flask before handing it back to Merlin.

"He's the trader I mentioned earlier. I met him along the road and he gave me a lift. Nice fellow, if a bit odd."

Merlin considered taking a drink as well, but decided against it. Arthur needed it more than he did so he stuffed the flask back into the pack and got up. He pulled Arthur to his feet and after some awkward adjustments; they ambled off down the road. The smoother surface was a welcome relief and Arthur did notice that he felt warm all over after drinking some of that mead. Merlin was right, the stuff was stronger than it tasted. He felt slightly light headed, but the pain in his leg was far more bearable.

They hobbled along for nearly three hours in relative silence, not meeting a soul on the road. It wasn't too surprising considering that people were now afraid to travel due to the thieves who had been robbing and killing anyone they met. After a while the pain in Arthur's leg became harder to ignore as the limb swelled and his calf high boot became tighter and tighter. Merlin also noticed that the prince was having more trouble keeping up and fished in the pack for the mead giving Arthur another sip.

"So you got drunk last night on that stuff?" Arthur asked, after taking a drink.

Merlin frowned and looked at Arthur sideways. "I did not! I just got a bit fuzzy, that's all. I only had a cup of it - I think."

Arthur had to smile. Merlin did like to drink even if he wouldn't admit it. "You think?" he asked, needling the young man. "Face it, Merlin, you got drunk, which means you must not have been too steady on your feet this morning and still somehow managed to save me from those bandits. I have to say I'm impressed."

Merlin blushed slightly from the praise. "Honestly, Arthur, I didn't get drunk, and I felt great this morning when I woke up." Merlin paused for a moment then continued as if figuring something out. "Actually I really _did_ feel better than I have in days." He looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was well beyond its zenith. "Look, its way past midday and I don't feel tired; well not the same way I have for the last week."

Arthur looked over at Merlin and noted that his color was almost normal even though he had a fine sheen of sweat on his brow. He had also noticed that Merlin grunted every once in a while in discomfort, but he didn't see the same signs of crushing fatigue that were always present with his man servant of late. Arthur began to wonder if there was something more to this person Merlin had met on the road. He wanted to ask the younger man why he had left, but sensed that now was not the right time to broach the subject. Merlin was acting so much more like his normal self and Arthur didn't want to upset him and bring back the sullen behavior that had plagued his servant for the last week.

"Tell me more about this Odin." At Merlin's questioning frown he added, "It'll help me think about something other than the fact that my leg is killing me."

"Do you need to rest?" Merlin asked, concerned.

"No, we still have a long way to go. Where did you meet him?"

Merlin thought back to the night before last. "It seems like so much time has gone by since I met him, but it was only the night before last. Odd, though...."

"What is?" Arthur asked, through gritted teeth.

Merlin didn't like the way Arthur was looking or the pained sound of his voice.

"Arthur, you may not need to rest, but I do. Besides those branches aren't working so well, they're slipping down your leg. Let's take a break for a few minutes."

Arthur was going to object, but Merlin simply steered him toward a small clearing near the side of the road and up to a large tree. It took a few unwieldy movements to get Arthur turned around so that his back was against the tree before Merlin could lower him to the ground. As soon as he was seated Merlin walked further into the woods.

"Where are you going?" Arthur asked, startled by Merlin's departure.

"The splint is loose and falling down. I want to see if I can find straighter or at least longer sticks."

The thought of Merlin moving his leg again to reapply the splint made Arthur shudder, but the younger man was right. The splint was not working very well at this point. Once he was out of Arthur's line of sight Merlin dropped his pack off and lifted his shirt to check his bandage. It was seeping red and throbbing. He rummaged through his pack and pulled out one of his tunics. He folded it into a long strip of thick cloth and untied the sleeves of the jacket he was using to hold the bandage on. The lower bit of the jacket he had used as a bandage was stuck to his oozing wounds, so he simply wrapped his tunic over the top of that then used the sleeves to tie the newer bandage on as tightly as he could. As hard as he tried he couldn't keep from crying out when pain seared through his torso as he tied the sleeves together tightly.

"Merlin! What's happening?" Arthur called out, alarmed.

As spots danced in front of Merlin's eyes, he had to breathe quickly to regain his composure.

"Merlin!"

Gritting his teeth the young man called back in what he hoped was a fairly normal voice. "Hang on; I just tripped on your new splint."

He didn't really hear Arthur's reply, but the sound was as irritated as Merlin would have expected from the prince. He quickly scanned the forest floor looking for two straight sticks that would work now that he had announced that he'd found them, and much to his relief he found a perfect branch. It was forked with two long straight shafts that would work perfectly. The branch had come off the tree in a storm so it was still fairly green and quite heavy. Merlin had no choice but to break off the branches of the fork before he could drag them back to where Arthur sat. It was not terribly difficult when he used the leverage of a nearby boulder to lay the branch on and then simply sat on the parts he wanted until they cracked and broke off.

When Merlin got back to Arthur with the new splint material he was careful to make sure his left arm stayed close to his side keeping his own brown jacket closed. There was no point in giving Arthur anything else to concentrate on at this point. He left once again to fetch his pack and upon his return he pulled out the flask of mead handing it to Arthur.

"Here, maybe you'd better take a sip of this before I change the splint."

Arthur nodded and took the flask. After another long pull he dropped his head back against the tree.

"Are you ready?" Merlin asked.

Arthur only nodded and braced himself. As Merlin unfastened the saddle straps and removed the more slender sticks and replaced them with the thicker longer ones, Arthur looked on, gritting his teeth, but was surprised that the pain wasn't worse.

"These are heavier, but they're also longer and sturdier. I think they will work a little better."

When Merlin fastened the straps tightly around the new splint pain shot through Arthur's leg savagely causing him to suck air in through his clenched teeth sharply. Once Merlin was finished Arthur was breathing hard, but he had to admit that his leg did feel a little more secure. He noticed that Merlin had broken out into a sweat and had distinct lines of pain creasing his forehead and around his eyes.

"Are you alright? You look as though you're ready to pass out." Arthur asked; a note of concern in his voice.

Merlin sat back against a near-by tree and allowed his head to drop back against the rough bark. "It's been a long day and you're not exactly light are you?"

Arthur was still holding the flask of mead and he tossed it over to Merlin. "I've no idea what's in this stuff but it helps a lot. Maybe you should take a sip yourself."

Merlin picked up the flask and noted that it was still about half full. He wanted to drink some, but just set it back down. "If I have to practically carry you all the way back to Camelot, I'd better not. It is good stuff though." he said, with a slight smile. "Actually, everything that man made was good. The stew, the porridge, I've never tasted food so good."

Arthur looked over at the younger man intrigued. "You know, you were about to tell me about this mysterious friend of yours before we sat down. Now that I'm down I could do with a bit of a rest, so where exactly did you meet this... what did you say his name was?"

"Odin. Odin Gillivray." Merlin looked out toward the road and waved his arm in the general direction of it. "Actually, it was somewhere not too far from here that I came across him - or should I say he came across me. He nearly ran me over with his cart actually. He gave me a lift to Ealdor the night before last. I still can't believe that I have been home and back again in such a short period of time."

Arthur frowned at that statement, for Merlin had a good point. "You made it all the way to Ealdor? Isn't that quite some distance? How did you get back here so quickly?"

Merlin shook his head feeling bewildered. "Honestly, I don't know. I fell asleep in the back of his cart on the way to Ealdor. All I know is that by the morning we had arrived. Then I ran into him again on my way back to Camelot, or I should say he ran into me - again. I had stopped about midday for a rest, and he came along and recognized me. He offered me a ride as far as Ithandin, but I fell asleep again and by night-fall he stopped the cart just outside of Ithandin. I don't really understand it. It seems like time tends to work a bit oddly around him."

Arthur was tired and the mead was making him feel both warm and a bit fuzzy, but he thought that this stranger was certainly not who he claimed to be. "Merlin, did it occur to you that this stranger might be a sorcerer?"

Merlin's eyes opened wide for a moment and his heart pounded. He wanted to bang his head against the tree he was sitting against. Of course; how else could this trader have traversed the distance unless he had used magic to do so? Merlin didn't know of any spells that would transport them in this manner, but it had to be magic. Odin seemed so unlikely to be a sorcerer, though. Then Merlin remembered his eyes and the way they looked in the light of the fire the previous night. They were almost golden, like the Great Dragon's eyes.

"I suppose he could have been, but it seems pretty unlikely."

Arthur just stared at Merlin and then shook his head. "Unlikey? Merlin, honestly what do you know about magic?" After another moment's thought Arthur continued, "You know, sorcerer or not this mead is good and I don't want to worry about this trader right now."

Arthur dropped his head back and closed his eyes for a few minutes. His leg was still throbbing, but it seemed to hurt less after drinking some of Odin's mead. After a short time Arthur raised his head up and looked at Merlin. He was sitting there looking altogether uncomfortable. His eyes were closed, but frown lines of pain creased his brow and small rivulets of sweat glistened on his face. Arthur was starting to wonder if Merlin had injured more than just his arm.

"Ealdor eh? That's your home right?"

Merlin opened his eyes and looked over at Arthur feeling a little self-conscious. He wondered how long the prince had been watching him. "Yeah, it's the village I grew up in." Merlin answered, wearily. His side had stopped bleeding but the events of the day were sapping his strength.

Arthur knew that now was as good a time as any to ask the question he really wanted an answer to. "Why did you run away, Merlin?"

Merlin hadn't expected the question and it caught him off guard. "I didn't 'run away" he answered, a little bit petulantly.

Arthur had to smirk a little at Merlin's tone. "Oh, I see. No note saying where you had gone; no goodbye to Gaius or anyone else; you left after curfew; you ran away. Why?"

Merlin turned his head to look at Arthur feeling irritated by the questioning. He felt badly enough about worrying Gaius the way he must have, and he wasn't in the mood to be scolded yet again for it. "I was angry, all right?"

Arthur sat up a little straighter, wincing as his leg protested the movement. "Angry? At whom?"

Merlin closed his eyes again and turned his face away from Arthur. He _did_ feel badly about acting so rashly, but a part of him still felt galled and a little betrayed. "Gaius lied to me. He let me believe that he could still find some way to counter what Nimueh has done to me."

"Gaius looked in every book and paper he could get a hold of to find a way to help you, Merlin. Hell, he even investigated magical cures."

At that statement Merlin looked over at Arthur sharply. He couldn't believe that Gaius would have told the prince that.

"He tried to deny it, well not so much deny it, but he said that he wouldn't be able to... Look it doesn't matter what he said, the point is he tried as hard as he could. But that wasn't good enough for you was it? So you left."

"Yes." was all Merlin could say. He knew he had been wrong to just leave without a note or a word to anyone. Gaius didn't deserve to be worried like that, and what Arthur had said in the old physician's defense made him feel so much worse.

Merlin had been so un-Merlin like ever since the sorceress had done whatever it was she had done to him, that Arthur wasn't that shocked that his servant had run off. He softened his tone and asked, "So why did you come back?"

A smirk turned up the corner of Merlin's mouth as he replied, "Isn't it obvious? You need me."

Arthur snorted at that answer. "I'll grant that your coming along when you did was pretty fortuitous, but seriously, why _did_ you come back?"

Merlin sighed heavily. He had grown tired of the conversation and this wasn't really something he wanted to talk to Arthur about, at least not while he was feeling altogether miserable. "Just call it an obligation."

Arthur's face mirrored surprise at Merlin's reply, and his response was a bit callous, even for Arthur.

"Obligation? What obligation could you possibly have that compelled you to come back? I mean you were so keen to leave that you risked sneaking past the guards after curfew! It couldn't be a burning desire to clean my chambers or muck out the stables..."

As soon as Arthur mentioned the stables he stopped short and wished he hadn't mentioned that.

Merlin's eyes snapped open and he stared at Arthur. "You are really unbelievable! Do you have any idea how arrogant and self-centered you can be, Arthur?"

"What..."

Merlin cut Arthur off before he could say another word. "Do you really think that you are the only one who has responsibilities and obligations and the will to fulfill them?" Merlin's voice rose with each word until he was almost shouting at Arthur. The flash of anger gave him the strength that he needed to get up from the ground where he sat.

Arthur was so shocked by the vehemence in Merlin's voice that he responded by smiling smugly up at the young man. "So you _did_ come back for me!"

Merlin just stared at Arthur not sure whether he wanted to laugh or scream at him. He shook his head slightly and sighed. "I can always count on you to illustrate my point. We'd better get going if we want to be back to Camelot before nightfall. We only have an hour or two of daylight left."

Arthur wanted to argue the point more, but he knew he should save his strength for the rest of the long hobbling, hopping trek back to the city. By the time the castle came into view off in the distance both young men were nearly at their limit of endurance. The sounds of horses hooves coming up behind them made them stop and look around. Borin and his contingent of knights came into view, much to Arthur's relief. As soon as they spotted Arthur and Merlin, Borin raced up to them at a fast gallop.

"Sire! What has happened?" he shouted as he slid down from his horse. He turned to his men and told Brom to ride to Camelot immediately and collect a wagon, the court physician and the King.

"You're injured, Sire. You need to sit down. Rowan, Fendrel, come and lay blankets down for the prince." he ordered, briskly.

The knights dismounted to take the blankets out from under their saddles while Arthur leaned against both Merlin as well as Borin.

"Where is your horse, Sire?" Borin asked, as the men worked to loosen their saddle straps enough to retrieve the blankets.

"I found the thieves that have plagued the roads. They attacked me and killed my horse. Actually, if Merlin hadn't come by when he did, I would have been their next victim."

Borin recognized Merlin as the Crown-Prince's man servant and he looked on bewildered. "Sire?"

Arthur, still feeling the effects of the mead, told Borin and the other knights about how Merlin came across them and took the thieves by surprise.

"I have never seen such a clumsy attempt at sword fighting, no offense, Merlin. It was pure dumb luck, and he's fortunate he wasn't killed. He accidentally knocked out one man and I still don't know how he managed to run the other one through. My horse was in the way and I couldn't see. Then after he tied up the first one, he dug me out from under the horse and set my leg with the branches and we have walked all the way here from the Knavesmire Wood."

Borin, Rowan and Fendrel were all looking at Merlin with frank disbelief on their faces. They believed Arthur's account of the events that had transpired, but they were astounded that Merlin had acted with the bravery of a knight of Camelot. Borin stood up and stepped over in front of Merlin. Then he dropped to one knee and actually bowed to the servant.

"You have saved the life of Prince Arthur, and done so with bravery and honor."

Merlin didn't know how to respond. He had never imagined he would ever be acknowledged for his deeds in fulfilling his destiny. He was dumb struck and didn't know what he should say to this knight, a nobleman, who was showing him such honor and respect.

"I... I only did what I had to do, Sir Borin."

Arthur was almost as surprised as Merlin, but he couldn't really comment as it was that moment that horse hooves at a full run were heard coming from Camelot. Gaius was so relieved to see Merlin alive that he had no words when he laid eyes on the two young men. His attention was immediately drawn to Prince Arthur, who was obviously injured, but the scarf wrapped around Merlin's arm didn't go unnoticed by the court physician. Uther jumped from his horse and ran to his son.

"Arthur! You are hurt. What happened?" He exclaimed his voice riddled with fear and concern.

"I'm fine, Father. My leg is broken where my horse fell on top of me. The thieves that have been robbing and killing our people won't be a problem anymore. One lies dead the other is tied to a tree just inside the Knavesmire Wood. Borin knows where they are."

Uther stood up with fury blazing in his eyes. "The man who lived will pay dearly for his actions. Sir Borin and I will go and collect this scum and have him brought back to Camelot to face his sentence. Gaius, take Arthur to his chambers and see to his injuries."

Uther reached down and helped Arthur to his feet then helped lift him up into the cart. "Who splinted your leg, Arthur?"

At that moment Arthur was sucking in a sharp breath as pain shot through his leg with the movement of being lifted up into the cart filled with hay, so Borin answered.

"That was Merlin, the prince's man servant."

Uther looked around and noticed Merlin for the first time. Merlin hadn't said anything and wished that Sir Borin hadn't pointed him out. Gaius noticed the look on Merlin's face and interrupted.

"Both of them need to get back to Camelot and have their wounds attended to, Sire. If you intend to bring back that man from the Knavesmire Wood you will have to move quickly to get there before night falls."

Uther looked up at the sun getting low in the sky and then back at Gaius. "You are quite right, Gaius. Sir Borin, we ride out, now."

Uther was on his horse and headed down the road before Borin had even mounted his own steed. The bumpy ride back to Camelot was hard on Arthur's leg and Merlin was ready to pass out as his side burned with pain. Once they entered the city, Gaius instructed the knights to carry Arthur up to his bed chambers while he went to his own rooms to gather the supplies he would need, but not before he turned to Merlin, and spoke.

"Go with Arthur, Merlin. I will want to examine your arm after you help me to set his leg."

Merlin was too worn out to object and he simply followed the knights who were carrying Arthur up the steps to the main keep. Gwen and Morgana met the knights as they entered the hallway to Arthur's chambers. Morgana was shocked to see Arthur with tree branches tied to his leg, but her focus was on Merlin. He looked dreadful. His face was covered in sweat and he looked red rather than pale as he had for the past week. She was relieved to see him whole and walking behind the men carrying Arthur, and wondered about her dream. She opened the door to Arthur's chambers to allow the men to get Arthur in and lay him down on the bed. Within a few more minutes Gaius appeared carrying an assortment of items that he set down on the table at the end of the bed.

"Morgana, my dear, I need you to step out. Actually, except for Merlin and Gwen - who will assist me - I would like everyone to leave and give me some room to work." He turned and addressed Morgana directly "You don't mind if I borrow Gwen for the time being do you?"

"No, of course not, Gaius." she said, in an uncertain voice. She was still eyeing Merlin and wishing she knew what had happened out there in the woods. She tried to see if he was wounded but he had his brown coat on and couldn't see his tunic at all.

After shooing everyone else out of the room, Gaius pulled out a vial of liquid and walked over to the bed handing it to Arthur. "Now drink this down. It will put you to sleep so that I can set your leg."

Arthur took the vial and eyed it dubiously. He remembered the last time Gaius had given him a vial to drink and experimentally sniffed the liquid to see if it was the same concoction. It smelled perfectly ghastly as evidenced by the wrinkled-nose scowl the Crown-Prince gave the container.

"Honestly, Gaius, I'll just grit my teeth, and bear it if it's all the same to you." he said, as he tried to hand the vial back.

Gaius looked at Arthur sternly, "It isn't all the same to me, actually. I need to set the bones in your leg in order for them to heal properly. I am not as strong as I used to be, and this will not only deaden the pain, but also relax your muscles allowing me to set the leg correctly. This is not an option, Arthur."

Arthur realized that the court physician was not going to take no for an answer, and it was foolish to lie there trying to be stoic, so he up ended the vial and drank the entire contents in one gulp. It only took a few moments for the drug to start taking effect. Arthur's eyelids began to droop and he leaned back on his elbows looking drunkenly up at Gwen and smiling. Gwen and Merlin exchanged a look and smiled at each other refusing to laugh at the rather goofy grin on Arthur's face. After another moment the Prince's head fell back on the pillows and his eyes rolled upward until they closed.

Before Gaius did anything else he approached Merlin and took a hold of his arm. "Let me see this wound." he said, as he untied the handkerchief.

The wound was long and deep enough to warrant stitches, but the bandage had held it together and stopped the bleeding nicely. Gaius looked up at his ward and noticed him wince a little as he probed the edges of the wound.

"This will need to be stitched, but it can wait until after we set Arthur's leg." The physician tied the handkerchief back onto Merlin arm tightly causing an audible grunt from the boy, before turning back to what needed to be done for Arthur.

Gaius used a knife to cut the straps of the splint apart and handed the branches to Gwen who placed them in the corner where firewood is normally kept. Getting Arthur's boot off wasn't nearly as difficult as Gaius would have expected. Arthur's leg was swollen but not nearly as badly as he would have thought. He had no choice but to use the knife to cut the young man's pant leg revealing bare skin and the extent of the injury.

"Merlin come over here and take a firm hold of his upper leg, just above the knee. Now be sure you don't let go while I am pulling, understand? If it is too much for your arm with that wound you must let me know right away."

Merlin nodded in understanding then took a firm grasp of Arthur's leg. Gwen stood back a little to give the physician and Merlin room to work. Gaius had to kneel down in order to get the right leverage. He took a hold of Arthur's ankle and began to pull the young man's leg slowly and evenly. Merlin watched in fascination as he saw the bones in Arthur's leg begin to shift slightly. There was a bulge on the front of Arthur's shin that slowly began to move downward as Gaius pulled then, almost as if by magic, there was a pop and the lump sank down so that it was no longer easily seen under the surface of the skin. Merlin's hands were not shaking yet, but his arms were beginning to from fatigue and pain. He was astonished at how hard it was to hold the Prince's leg steady with Gaius pulling in the opposite direction. Gaius himself had broken out into a slight sweat as he continued to pull until Merlin could almost envision a gap between the two pieces of broken bone, then very slowly the physician allowed the pieces of bone to come back together as he released the tension on Arthur's ankle.

After taking a moment to catch his own breath, Gaius looked up at Merlin who was sweating, shaking slightly and still held Arthur's leg tightly. "You can let go now, Merlin... gently." he added as Merlin opened his hands. Gaius then instructed Gwen to bring a stool over to the side of the bed.

"Once I have immobilized Arthur's leg it will rest on this stool but in the mean time I need you to very carefully support his leg while I get the cast ready."

Gwen looked a little uncertain, but did as she was told. Gaius had brought along several thin flat sticks and a large sheet of something that looked a bit like tree bark. As it turned out the parchment like material was indeed a section of bark from a large birch tree. Fastening the sticks like bunting along the inside of the birch bark, Gaius was able to form a sort of stiff pant leg that would close around Arthur's lower leg. He first loosely wrapped multiple layers of linen around Arthur's leg and foot before opening the birch bark covering and carefully fitted it around the mended limb, then he placed the limb on the stool for support. Gaius instructed Gwen to hold the birch bark together for a few minutes while he stirred together a basin of water and some white powder from a large sack that was in his supply bag. As he stirred the powder into the water it began to form a thick paste. Once he had enough of it he began to literally paint over the birch bark covering while still instructing Gwen to hold it closed.

Merlin remained kneeling on the floor next to the bed breathing slowly in and out through his mouth, trying to make the nausea he was feeling pass. His head was spinning and he felt like the room was tilting from side to side. He held as still as he could not wanting to distract Gaius from his ministrations.

Once the top and sides of the birch bark were completely covered with the paste, Gaius asked Gwen to help him up. Stepping over to the wash basin, he began to scrub the paste off his hands.

"Once that is dried, I will have to coat the back of the cast. But, that will take some time."

As he spoke Merlin stood up from his position at the side of Arthur's bed. A wave of dizziness washed over him and his side erupted in fresh pain as he staggered over to the chair by the table sitting down heavily and holding his side.

"Merlin!" Gwen shouted, as she rushed to him.

Gaius turned and saw how red faced and shaky the young man appeared and then saw that Merlin was holding his hand against his side under his jacket. He moved the jacket aside and saw that the side of Merlin's shirt was stained with blood. He had been so intent on Arthur that he had failed to take note of the fact that Merlin's arm was not the only injury the boy had suffered.

"Merlin, are you alright?" Gaius asked, as he looked carefully into the young man's glazed eyes.

"Not as such." Merlin quipped, as a trickle of blood ebbed out from between his fingers.

Gaius immediately knelt down to look at the boy's side. He lifted Merlin's shirt and pulled up the makeshift tourniquet that he had tied around his waist. There was a stab wound from a sword that went all the way through Merlin's side and out the back. It was far to the left and probably had missed any vital organs, but the wound was showing signs of infection and it was bleeding freely. Gaius immediately thought of Morgana's dream. Gwen gasped as her hands flew to her mouth.

"Gwen, listen to me." Gaius instructed. "I need you to get me fresh water and towels." The girl nodded looking frightened. "Also go to my chambers, and fetch my brown round bowl; the one with the thatched lid. It has everything I need in it."

Gwen flew out of Arthur's chambers at a dead run. Gaius helped Merlin to get his shirt off and was untying the bandaging when Merlin spoke in a soft voice.

"I never will be again, Gaius."

The finality and sadness in Merlin's voice made Gaius stop and look at his nephew. "You never will be what, Merlin?"

"Alright. When Nimueh stole my magic, she tore out my soul. I'm not _me_ anymore, but it still doesn't change anything, not really."

Gaius sat back on his heels and stared at the young man before him, his heart aching for the loss Merlin suffered.

"It doesn't matter what Nimueh did to me. It doesn't matter what she took from me because that doesn't change what I have to do." Merlin tuned and looked at Arthur sleeping soundly on the bed. "It doesn't change my responsibility to him."

After looking at Arthur for another moment, Merlin turned back to Gaius. He saw the lines of worry in the old man's face, the redness of eyes that hadn't slept since he ran away, and guilt swept through him. "I'm sorry, Gaius. I shouldn't have run off like that. I realize that even without magic, this is where I belong..." Merlin's gaze once again moved to the sleeping prince, "... by _his_ side."

"So you came back." Gaius finished for him.

"I'll just have to figure out how to fulfill my destiny with what I have left."

Gaius lifted an eyebrow in an unspoken question.

"Stunning wit, and superior intelligence."

Gaius smiled at Merlin's quip, but he was too filled with emotion to laugh. "Merlin, I am so very proud of you."

Merlin tried to smirk, but it came off as more of a grimace. "That's good..." Merlin said, softly as his eyes began to droop. "I'm think I'm going faint now," he said, as his eyes rolled up and he slumped forward into Gaius' arms.

"Oh dear."

Gaius had to get Merlin down onto the floor, but it wasn't easy from his kneeling position. The boy essentially fell off the chair as the older man tried to guide him down to the floor. What happened next took Gaius completely by surprise. A faint green glow began to emanate from Merlin's chest. It grew in intensity until it filled the entire room with a brilliant light and then it was gone. Gaius didn't know what had happened exactly, but he was most definitely glad that it was over, for a few moments later the door to Arthur's chambers burst open and Uther stood in the doorway.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** I hope everyone had a lovely holiday last week (for those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving). My regular beta has had a family emergency to cope with and has been unable to look this chapter over. This is essentially un-beta'd so any errors you find are all on me. I have gone over it several times trying to catch any typos. There is only one chapter left to go after this one but I will wait for one of my beta's to have time to look it over before posting. Thanks for the patience.  
Enjoy,  
Alice I

**Chapter Twelve**

Uther took a moment to register what he was seeing in his son's bed chamber. Arthur lay on his bed either sleeping or unconscious, his left leg in some sort of plaster molding and propped up on a stool next to the bed. His court physician was kneeling on the floor over Arthur's man servant who lay unconscious on the floor with a large bloody stain covering a clumsy looking bandage tied around his midriff. The fact that Uther had seen no sign of an injury on the boy earlier forced him to draw the conclusion that an attack had taken place inside this room.

"Guards!" he bellowed in a thunderous voice as he stepped into the room drawing his sword.

Years of experience in battle had honed the King's reactions and he instinctively scanned the corners and hidden recesses of the room ready to spot and fend off an intruder. Upon seeing no one else in the room he turned his attention to Gaius.

"What has happened here?"

Gaius was startled speechless for a moment by the King's actions, but recovered quickly.

"Sire, wait! It's not what you think!" he said, breathlessly.

The sight of Uther Pendragon armed and ready for battle was quite formidable especially from the vantage point of someone kneeling on the floor. Before Gaius could say anything else two men dressed in the garb of the royal guard charged through the door. When they saw the King with his weapon drawn they too drew their swords looking around for the threat. Seeing no one beside the king the physician, the prince and a servant lying unconscious on the floor they looked to Uther awaiting instructions. The king sheathed his sword and indicated that the guards do the same.

"How was the boy injured, physician?"

Gaius relaxed visibly as the weapons were put away and answered as he checked Merlin's pulse.

"I would imagine that this happened while fighting off the thieves who attacked Arthur in the forest."

Uther's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I saw no wound when we met the knights beyond the city gates."

Gaius shook his head sadly. "He hid the wound from Arthur. I, myself, didn't realize he was wounded until he nearly collapsed after he helped me set Arthur's leg."

Just as Gaius spoke Gwen rushed in through the door carrying the supplies the physician had asked for. When she saw the guards and Uther she stopped dead in her tracks not knowing if she had appeared unseemly in her haste. Then she saw Merlin lying on the floor and any thoughts of propriety swept from her mind.

"Oh, Merlin! Gaius is he...? I came back as quickly as I could. I have your rounds kit and the towels and some linen sheets, and... and..." Gwen stammered in near hysterics.

Gaius spoke in a soothing voice to try and calm the girl. "Merlin has collapsed from the wound, but he is not dead." Gaius turned his attention to the king. "I need to get him up off the floor."

Uther motioned to the guards to lift the boy up as Gwen quickly cleared the table, it being the only place they could lay him down. Once they got Merlin on the table Gaius instructed the men to hold him up in a sitting position so he could remove the makeshift bandage the boy had fashioned and examine the wound. As soon as the material fell away the wound began to bleed freely. The wound on the boy's front where the sword entered his body was about three inches in length and the exit wound in the back was slightly smaller. The skin surrounding both wounds was hot, red and puffy. Gaius turned to Gwen who stood at the end of the table with a horror struck expression on her face.

"Gwen, I need a towel and some clean water."

The girl's eyes never left her friend as she nodded, yet she stood unmoving for a moment longer. Then she seemed to come to her senses and grabbed up a clean white towel from the small stack she had snatched up from a laundry maid walking through the corridors and shoved it into the physician's hands before she ran once again from the room to fetch water.

Gaius carefully placed the towel over the exit wound in Merlin's back and with the help of the guards gently laid him down on the table.

"Thank you." he said, to the guards who took that as a dismissal and quietly left the room.

Uther stood at the foot of Arthur's bed deep in thought as Gaius rummaged through his medical kit pulling out items he would need to tend to Merlin.

"Extraordinary." The king said, softly.

Gaius looked up at Uther puzzled. "Sire?"

"How is it possible that this boy was able to fight off two skilled swordsmen, rescue Arthur and get him all the way back to Camelot from the Knavesmire Wood with such a grievous wound?"

Gaius paused in his work for a moment and made sure he had the king's full attention. "Loyalty, Sire. Merlin may not be a knight of Camelot or skilled with a sword, but he is Arthur's _friend_. You of all people should know how strong the bonds of friendship and loyalty can be."

Uther looked behind him at his sleeping son, then back to the slight and broken figure of his man servant lying on the table in front of him.

"Merlin spoke of a bond between them, that day when he helped me into my armor before I fought the wraith. Is it possible that this bond - this friendship - that has grown between them is the reason that Nimueh wasn't able to use Merlin as a weapon against Arthur? Could friendship be a strong enough force to subvert magic?"

Gaius knew perfectly well what the sorceress had in mind when she attacked Merlin, but he wasn't about to dissuade this line of thinking in the king.

"Yes, sire. If the bonds of love and friendship are strong enough, I do believe that they can overcome anything, including _dark_ magic. The malaise that Merlin experienced could easily have been a manifestation of an internal struggle within his heart."

Uther nodded still deep in thought. After a moment he looked up at Gaius who was still staring directly at the king.

"Loyalty and friendship won."

"Yes, Sire, undeniably."

"How serious is this wound? Can you save him?" Uther asked, earnestly as he approached the table.

Gaius' expression grew sad and pensive.

"The wound itself isn't as grave as it could have been which is most likely why Merlin was able to do everything that he did for Arthur. It is far to the left of the abdomen; far enough to have missed his kidney and stomach..."

Gaius' voice fell off and Uther said, "But?"

"The wound is infected. If the bowel was pierced, there is little hope, Sire."

Uther understood why his court physician was so grim. He had skinned and gutted more than enough animals to be marginally familiar with internal anatomy, and how easy it would be to pierce the twisting loops of intestine that occupied a majority of the space inside the body. As a warrior, he had seen a multitude of wounds sustained in battle. He had seen what a sword wound to the abdomen could do to a man, especially if infection set in. It was a slow and agonizing way to die. Somehow, whether due to undying loyalty, friendship, or just plain stubborn perseverance this frail, seemingly insignificant boy had done more for Arthur than any of his knights ever had. It was wholly remarkable and Uther fervently hoped the boy would recover.

Gwen rushed back into Arthur's chambers carrying a bucket of water. Her face was flushed and she was breathless having run the whole way. Gaius had taken out a wooden bowl with a groove cut into it's lip for pouring. While he and Uther spoke the physician had taken a hard cake of dried yellow woundwort and began crushing it up in the bowl using a stone pestle until it was a fine powder. He added some of the fresh water and mixed it up until he has a yellow colored wash.

Merlin had begun to move, moaning slightly as he rolled his head from side to side, his eyes trying to open and focus. Gaius looked up at the king and asked, "Sire, could you recall one of the guards. I will need strong arms to hold him down while I wash out the wound. The woundwort is an astringent and will be painful, but it will stop the bleeding and cleanse the wound."

Uther stepped forward squaring his shoulders. "Tell me what you need done."

Gaius only allowed surprise to show on his face for an instant then he replied, "His arms and legs must be held down. When I apply the wash he will feel great pain."

Gwen immediately stepped up to the table and practically lay across the young man's knees. Uther took a hold of Merlin's arms raising them over his head to remove his hands from the physician's work area and held him tightly by the shoulders and upper arms. Merlin was only semi-conscious, but Gaius spoke to him in a clear strong voice.

"Merlin, this is going to hurt quite a lot. I'm very sorry, my boy, but try not to fight."

The physician wasted no time. He made sure both Gwen and Uther were ready then he poured the wash directly into and over the wound in Merlin's side. The yellow fluid immediately fizzed over the surface of the skin and bubbled up out of the open wound creating a yellowish foam that mixed with the blood. Both Gwen and Uther were hard pressed to keep the young man's limbs still as he screamed in agony writhing in pain. Gaius instructed Uther to turn the boy's shoulders half way to the right so that he could apply more of the wash to the wound in his back. He looked carefully and after pouring the rest of the wash over the exit wound he was pleased to see that the bleeding was already slowing considerably.

After the initial shock of pain Merlin fell into a weak mumbling protest and stopped struggling much to Gwen's relief. She was a very strong young woman having honed her muscles with a lifetime of manual labor, but Merlin's legs nearly kicked her to the floor when Gaius first applied the cleansing astringent. Now with the young man turned up toward his side Gaius used the towel that was now wet and bloody to wipe off the rest of the blood and woundroot wash from his body.

"Gwen, see if you can turn his legs and hips. I need him on his side so that I can begin to stitch these wounds."

Between the three of them they got Merlin securely positioned on the table on his right side so that Gaius could begin his work. Uther stepped back as the physician began sewing up Merlin's wounds. He moved around the bed and more closely examined the plaster mold around Arthur's lower leg. He saw that the plaster was still wet and only went down the sides. He realized that the physician must need to apply a coat to the bottom before the mold would be finished. Arthur tossed his head slightly frowning in his sleep. Uther thought that he might be in pain and gently stroked the side of his son's face trying to calm his inner torment.

Gwen turned out to be an excellent assistant to the physician and with her help he finished stitching the sword wounds in short order. He applied a yarrow poultice to both wounds and then used the linen strips that Gwen had brought to bandage him around his waist. Once he was finished he moved around the table to stand in front of Merlin and began to untie the handkerchief wrapped around his forearm. That wound was deep but far less troubling than the sword wound. It too showed signs of infection, but milder. He made up more of the astringent wash and had Gwen hold Merlin's hand very tightly while he held the boy's upper arm. Merlin moaned loudly and rolled to his back as the wash worked on the gash in his arm but not nearly as violently as he had before.

"Merlin!" Arthur called out in a slurred voice as he tried to move.

Gaius looked over at Arthur and spoke sharply as his casted leg was close to falling off the stool. "He must not move! I have not finished with the cast."

Uther once again stroked his son's face calming him as his eyes darted back and forth under closed lids, and carefully pushed the young man's leg back to the center of the stool. "Rest now, Arthur. Merlin will be fine. Gaius will take good care of him."

Uther's tone was so gentle that it sounded utterly foreign to Gwen's ears, but it did seem to calm the prince. By the time that Gaius had cleansed the wound on Merlin's right arm and left hand the boy was shivering and delirious. The physician placed his hand on Merlin's face and felt the heat of fever radiating from the boy. The infection had set in and he needed to be in bed. He still needed to stitch up the wound on the boy's arm but he needed to be in bed and covered first.

"Sire, Merlin needs to be taken to my chambers so that he can be covered before I begin to stitch this wound."

Uther got up and opened the ornate chest that sat near the foot of Arthur's bed pulling out a spare blanket and covered the shivering boy with it before gathering him up in his arms, much to the shock of both Gwen and Gaius. He stepped over to the door and waited for Gwen to open it. Once out in the corridor the King did not turn toward the exit to the courtyard, but in the opposite direction causing the physician and Gwen to frown in confusion. He turned and stopped at the door to the chamber next to Arthur's and waited for the maid to open it for him. He walked directly up to the rich four poster bed against the left wall of the chamber and after Gwen pulled down the bed linens he gently laid the boy down and turned to Gaius.

"You need to attend to both Arthur as well as his man servant and it makes no sense for you to travel between your chambers and here. Arthur needs you to be near him and so does Merlin.

"Indeed." Gaius replied with an unreadable expression on his face. "It will take me some time to stitch up this wound. By then the cast on Arthur's leg should be dry enough for me to coat the bottom with plaster. Perhaps you could sit with Arthur and make sure his leg doesn't move until I can return to finish with him."

Uther nodded his understanding and left the room quietly. Gwen and Gaius watched with nearly stunned looks on their faces as the king left. Gaius had taken up his rounds kit as they left Arthur's room and he set it down on the table next to the bed looking through it for what he needed to stitch up Merlin's arm. Gwen pulled a chair over to the side of the bed for the physician to sit on and went back to Arthur's chambers for a moment to gather up the towels and linen bandaging before returning to assist Gaius.

* * *

Uther paid Gwen no heed as she entered the room and gathered up the physician's supplies before bowing slightly and retreating from the chamber. Uther's attention was on Arthur. He took two of the cylindrical shaped pillows from Arthur's bed and fitted them on either side of his son's casted leg trying to help keep it still. It was clear that Arthur was beginning to arouse from the drugged slumber that he was in. The prince's eyes slowly opened and he turned his head trying to focus on the face staring down at him.

"Wa 'appened?" Arthur's asked, in a drug slurred voice.

Arthur tried to sit up in bed and found that strong arms held his shoulders down.

"Arthur, lie still. Gaius was very specific about you not moving your leg until he can finish making this plaster mold."

Arthur was still woozy from the drugs and looked around, but not seeing the physician he frowned. "Where is Gaius?"

Uther sat up straight in the chair next to Arthur's bed. "He is tending to Merlin's wounds. He'll be back to finish with you when this is dry enough." Uther said, glancing down at his son's leg.

Arthur looked down as well and saw the plaster contraption surrounding his lower leg. He experimentally tried to wiggle his toes but that caused a sharp pain to shoot through his leg and he dropped his head back on the pillow squeezing his eyes shut as the pain subsided. He seemed to drift off back into sleep for several long minutes when rather suddenly his head shot back up.

"What? What do you mean Merlin's wounds?" Arthur looked up at his father and saw the king look away. "I thought, wait, was he injured? He was, wasn't he?" Arthur tried to think back to the events of the day. His thoughts were still sluggish with the after effects of the drug, but he clearly remembered the sword fight in the forest, or at least what he was able to see of it past the body of the dead horse pinning him to the ground. "That's right, his arm was cut. I remember. His hand as well."

Uther was looking at Arthur with an odd expression on his face and Arthur felt his stomach tighten up. The look in his father's eyes resembled pity, but that made no sense. He suddenly felt the strong desire to see Merlin. He didn't understand why, but some part of him told him that something wasn't right. He could almost hear a remembered voice - a scream of agony. He thought it had been a dream.

"When you were attacked, Merlin took your sword and fought off the thieves." Uther said, without looking at Arthur.

"Yes, father I was there I know that. It was rather amazing actually. He is a complete buffoon with a sword and yet he still somehow managed to..." Arthur trailed off as his befuddled mind began to put things together. "His arm was cut pretty deeply, and his left hand. I remember tying that silly neckerchief he always wears around his arm for him."

Uther sat forward and placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "You servant's wounds were not limited to his hand and arm, Arthur."

Arthur was determined to sit up at this point. He shot straight up in bed visibly wincing as his leg moved. Uther grabbed all of the pillows on the bed and stacked them up behind his son and guided him back into them while Arthur spoke sounding almost frantic.

"What do you mean his wounds were not limited? We walked all the way back from the Knavesmire Wood together. If he had another wound I would have known about it. Now tell me father, where is Merlin? What happened to him?"

Uther remained in position to keep Arthur from moving as he spoke. "During the course of the sword fight with that thief, Merlin was run through, Arthur.

Arthur looked on incredulously. "What? That is impossible. How could I not have known that? If he had been run through, as you say, then tell me how he was able to kill Gavin, knock out Evan and tie him up, dig me out from underneath a thousand pound dead animal, splint my leg, and then practically carry me back to Camelot. That just isn't humanly possible. You must be mistaken. I'm sure that Merlin is just fine. Maybe he has a scratch or two, but he was most certainly **not** run through!" Arthur voice rose with each word becoming more frantic and desperate with the passing until it almost sounded as though he were pleading.

Uther shook his head slightly and sighed. "What he was able to do, was indeed remarkable. I would never have imagined him capable of it, certainly not after the encounter with Nimueh."

"This can not be."

"Arthur, I was here when Gaius tended to his wounds. I assure you that what I have told you is true. At some point during the fight in the wood, your servant was pierced through his middle. The injury was far to the side and there _is_ a possibility that he will recover, but I saw the wounds with my own eyes."

Arthur was silent for a moment. "I can't believe it. Why? Why wouldn't he tell me that he was hurt?"

"Perhaps he felt that you would have reacted badly if you knew of his injury."

Arthur slapped his forehead. "Idiot! I told him to leave me. I ordered him to go to Camelot and get help, but he refused. He said he wouldn't leave me. That's it! That's why he wouldn't tell me about the wound, but I still can not believe he was able to do what he did, injured so gravely."

"Loyalty and friendship are powerful forces, Arthur. Gaius believes it was what allowed him to overcome the enchantment Nimueh placed on him."

Arthur thought about what Merlin said to Gavin; that he would die before he let him hurt Arthur. Is it possible that the words that his servant spoke were more than just a bluff to get the man to back down as Merlin claimed?

"I want to see him." Arthur said, in a firm tone.

"You will go nowhere until Gaius has finished with your leg and clears you to move around. Arthur, I understand that you are concerned for Merlin, it is understandable, but you must put your priorities in order."

Arthur was getting angry. "My priorities? Father, he was willing to die to keep me safe. My priority is clear. I want to see Merlin. I must know how badly he is hurt!"

The door to Arthur's chamber opened as he spoke and both men turned their heads to see Gaius standing there.

"Arthur, you must remain still and in bed until I finish your cast, and even beyond that, I'm afraid. If your leg does not heal properly you could be lame the rest of your life."

Gaius' words stopped Arthur's automatic retort. The thought of being lame, unable to fight, unable to fulfill his duties as prince or eventually as king made him take pause.

"Please, Gaius, tell me the truth. How badly was Merlin injured. He will recover won't he?"

Gaius came over and sat down on the edge of the bed and began to examine the cast. It was not yet dry but it was set well enough for him to begin making the rest of the plaster and apply it to the bottom.

"Gaius, please."

The old physician looked up into Arthur's eyes and the sadness reflected there scared the prince. "Merlin's wounds were not as serious as they could have been, but they have become infected. I assure you that I will do everything in my power to help him, but at this point only time can tell whether or not he will recover. Gwen is with him now tending his fever."

After a moment Gaius said, "Arthur, if the infection runs unabated he will die a slow and painful death. You must understand that if it becomes clear that there is no hope - I will not allow him to suffer."

Arthur could not believe what Gaius was saying to him. He understood all too well that the physician was right. A belly wound was a cruel and painful way to die, but he wouldn't allow himself to believe that Merlin wouldn't be alright, that he wouldn't recover from the injury. He refused to speak or even look at either the king or the court physician as Gaius finished his work on the young prince's cast. Both of the older men seemed to understand Arthur's need for silence and did not try to engage him in conversation. By the time Gaius had finished with his work and propped the now fully casted leg on the stool to dry, Arthur had sunk into a sullen mood that worried both the king and Gaius.

"I am truly amazed by how well your leg is responding, Arthur. There should be far more bruising and swelling than what is apparent. Honestly, I don't really understand it. I have seen and set more than enough broken bones to know that you are showing signs of healing that are nothing short of miraculous. It seems that you will heal from this broken leg very well, as long as you keep it elevated and don't try to do more than you should."

Arthur hardly registered what the physician had said and didn't respond. Gaius sighed and stood from the bed and walked over to his medical kit. He pulled out a small vial and set it on the table before turning back to the prince and the king.

"Arthur, you need to get out of those clothes and get cleaned up. Afterwards I want you to drink this and get some rest." Gaius said, indicating the vile an the table.

Gaius approached the bed to begin getting Arthur out of his chain mail, but stopped when Arthur held up his hand. "No Gaius, you need to go back to Merlin and take care of him. Father, get a couple of servants to come in here and help me with this."

Arthur's voice was strong and held no note of despondency. He couldn't do much to help his servant, but he could at least not occupy the physician's time with the menial task of changing him out of his clothes.

"As you wish, Sire." Gaius said, as he bowed then turned to gather up his supplies.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Well I told you that this would be the last chapter to this story, but once it was finished it was over 9,000 words and ridiculously long so I have split it into two chapters. The reason it is so long? - Well I share a computer with the rest of the family. My 9 year old got onto the computer while I was doing a final proof read of this chapter a week ago and downloaded something that had malware in it and the chapter was wiped out! I had to re-write the danged thing!! It grew a bit as a result.

I would like to thank dHALL for helping out with this last chapter(s).

**Chapter Thirteen**

After two days of enforced inactivity, Arthur's mood could safely be considered foul. The heavy cast covering the lower half of his left leg and foot not only prevented him from being able to move around freely, it also made it impossible to complete simple tasks that he had always taken for granted, such as bathing. The ability to soak in a hot tub of water was a basic luxury that he had never seen as anything more than a normal part of life, but now it was an undertaking that defied all logic. The cast was abominably heavy and created a whole new set of aches and pains as the young man tried to get comfortable in his own bed, let alone trying to sit in a tub of water without getting the blasted thing wet.

Arthur, out of pure necessity, had been assigned a new man-servant to take Merlin's place, and while the prince held no ill will toward the young man - Edward - he couldn't help feeling bitter and irritated by his very presence. Edward was a constant reminder that Merlin lay in the next chamber seriously ill and wounded. Arthur naturally realized that this was in no way Edward's fault, but he found himself biting his tongue every time the man knocked and politely came into his chambers. Merlin would not have knocked; he would have barged right in. Merlin would have been anything but quiet; he would prattle away at Arthur and make a general fool of himself; the consequence of which would raise the young prince's spirits.

Arthur genuinely wished that he could simply dismiss the man from his duties, but now more than any other time in his life, except for when he was a small child, Arthur needed the help of a servant. Getting dressed posed a particular problem for the Crowned-Prince of Camelot these days. The first day after waking from a drug induced sleep; Arthur found that there was no way to put pants on. Even if he had Edward cut the left pant leg off, the remaining material would still never go over the bulky device Gaius had created to keep his leg set properly. Arthur had to admit that the physician's device was rather ingenious even if it was difficult to move around in. That morning, one of the royal seamstresses was tasked with taking measurements and making a few pair of specialized slacks for the prince. The left leg had to be greatly over-sized as well as the crotch of the pants to accommodate getting it on over the cast. At Gaius' insistence, the pant leg had to stop at the knee so he still had easy access to the cast and Arthur's leg. The end result looked rather ridiculous in Arthur's eyes and they needed to be held up on the young man's hips with a stout draw-string.

Arthur honestly couldn't fault his new servant in any tangible way. Edward was polite and efficient, but he lacked any sense of humor. He would rarely speak unless spoken to; he never ventured any opinions or tried to scold Arthur when he would sit up in bed dangling his legs off the side - something strictly forbidden by the court physician. He never attempted to advise the prince that standing or hopping over to the window was a very bad idea and not at all good for his injured leg. He was prompt with Arthur's meals and quietly cleaned up his master's chambers without being asked to. In short, Arthur found his very presence to be altogether annoying and he dismissed the man each day as soon as Edward had preformed his required tasks.

Shortly after Edward left is chambers on the morning of the third day, Gaius entered Arthur's room carrying two long thick wooden rods that were smoothed out and forked at one end. He set them down next to the bed as he approached to check Arthur's casted leg. There was some swelling that made the cast tight, but not overly so.

"You have not been keeping this leg elevated enough, Arthur" Gaius admonished, as he inspected the prince's leg.

Arthur rolled his eyes at the court physician while still managing to look decidedly guilty. "I have only put it down once in a while, just to change the position. I'm beginning to get... "Arthur stopped talking, looking rather embarrassed and uncomfortable.

"What is it, My Lord?" Gaius asked; concerned that the prince had a new symptom that could complicate his recovery.

Arthur glanced at the door that stood open. One of the royal guards had been posted outside his bed chamber, by Uther. The fact that Arthur had almost died at the hands of a couple of thieves had shaken the king and he now saw enemies around every corner and had thus ordered a guard to stand outside the prince's bed chamber, only allowing trusted royal staff entrance to the room. Arthur bristled at what he considered a ridiculous measure. No one would dare attack him in his own bed chamber; no one could.

"It's just sitting here, well..." lowering his voice to a mere whisper, Arthur leaned closer to the court physician."My backside is getting a bit sore."

Gaius sat back, holding in the smile that wanted to form on his lips. "I see. Well, you should try rolling on your side with a pillow between your legs. Arthur, if you don't keep your leg up it will swell more and then you'll have a whole new set of problems to deal with. Try to remember that this cast needs to be in place for at least six weeks, possibly eight depending on how well you heal."

Arthur fell back against his pillows dramatically. "Eight weeks! That is far too long, Gaius. You must do something to speed up this process!"

Arthur knew he sounded petulant, but he couldn't help it. The forced inactivity was driving him mad. Gaius looked at him in a manner that spoke volumes about just what he thought of that command.

"Arthur, it is quite possible that eight weeks is longer than you will need. I must admit that your recovery thus far has been nothing short of miraculous. I have treated many broken bones and you've shown remarkable healing even before I set the bone and treated the injury. I am actually at a loss as to why this should be so. That, however, does not change the fact that if you don't keep this leg up, you will prolong your recovery time."

"I'm sorry, Gaius, I know that you are doing everything that you can to help. You know, it almost sounds like you are disappointed that I am healing so quickly."

Gaius raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That is not at all the case, Sire. I do want you to heal quickly, and I want you to heal correctly. I have been a physician for a very long time and when I am faced with a situation that defies reasonable explanation I must ask myself what the cause is. I am very pleased to see you doing so well, I just cannot account for it."

Arthur fell silent as Gaius prodded his leg above the end of the cast and tried not to wince in response to the physician's ministrations. "How is Merlin doing?"

Gaius pulled his hand back, looking more tired than Arthur had ever seen him. He simply shook his head, and then reached into his bag for a salve to apply to the irritated skin at the mouth of Arthur's cast.

"He _is_ recovering, isn't he?" When the physician didn't answer right away, Arthur grew even more concerned for his friend. "Gaius?"

Gaius stopped and looked into Arthur's eyes. "The infection has not responded well to my efforts. He rages with a fever and has done so for the last two days. In his weakened state..." Gaius paused for a moment. He seemed to look nearly heartbroken which increased Arthur's concern tenfold. "I fear the outcome. Gwen is sitting with him right now, but she will need to go back to her duties when I finish with you. Morgana has been incredibly generous, sparing Gwen to help me when I cannot be with Merlin."

Arthur raised his eyebrows at that. He knew that Morgana would fiercely look out for Guinevere, but he hadn't really realized that concern extended to Merlin. For a moment Arthur felt almost guilty for the way he often treated his man-servant, but he quickly squashed that feeling. Most of the time, he thought was actually very good to Merlin, especially when it came to running interference with the king.

Gaius had finished applying the salve to Arthur's leg and got up. He brought the wooden poles over to the side of the bed and instructed Arthur to sit up and allow his legs to hang over the edge of the bed.

"These sticks will allow you a little more freedom of movement, but understand that you still need to keep your leg elevated as much as possible."

Arthur noticed that there was a short handle like piece of wood coming out from the side of each pole about a third of the way down. Gaius handed the rods to the prince with the handles facing him.

"Now, what you will do is to use these sticks to stand but you are to put no weight on your left leg. The forks at the top of the sticks go under your arms and use the handles to control the movement of the sticks. Stand up and use the sticks and your good leg to support all of your weight."

Arthur did as instructed. It took him a moment to get comfortable with the unfamiliar action.

"Good, now when you want to move - place the sticks a little in front of you and swing on the sticks so that your right leg moves forward."

As Arthur tried to do this, his casted foot dragged along the floor.

"You'll have to bend your knee slightly to keep that leg up off the floor, Sire."

Arthur tried again and nearly fell forward onto the floor as he over extended himself by swinging to far, but Gaius was there to catch him.

"You'll have to practice a bit with these, I'm afraid. Let's get you turned around and see if you can make it back to the bed."

Gaius helped him to turn around and face the bed. This time Arthur was able to make it to the bed without dragging his casted leg on the floor or falling, but he felt worn out after such a short period of activity. The cast was surprisingly heavy and his leg was starting to throb slightly.

Arthur's thoughts were interrupted by a scream from the next room. It was Guinevere calling frantically for Gaius. Without asking for Arthur's leave, Gaius was up and out the door in an instant. Arthur reached for the walking sticks, but he didn't want to try and navigate just yet with them. He needed to get into the next chamber without being slowed down by the unfamiliar skills required to use them.

He beckoned the guard in anxiously. "Come here and help me. I need to get over there."

The guard moved quickly to Arthur's bedside and hoisted him up with one of Arthur's arms over his shoulder and his arm around the prince's waist, as Arthur hopped hurriedly out the door. As they rounded the large pillar before the doorway into the adjoining room, Arthur felt his stomach drop. Guinevere was holding one of Merlin's arms while Gaius held the other. They were bent at the elbows and every muscle was taught as his entire body stiffened and jerked spasmodically in seizure. Neither Gwen nor Gaius were strong enough to keep this up much longer and Arthur grabbed hold of the table by the door to hold himself up before ordering the guard to go and help them.

Arthur has seen a seizure like this one once before. One of his knights, Sir Gaillardet, who suffered a wound in battle that became infected, died shortly after suffering this kind of fever induced seizure. Arthur felt stricken. Merlin had sworn no oath, he wasn't supposed to die in service to Camelot, he was supposed to clean Arthur's bed chamber, to wash his socks, but not to die. The seizure seemed to take forever to pass, but in truth it had only been but a few minutes. As Merlin's body relaxed and the muscles stopped twitching, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. The guard quickly remembered his charge and moved back to support Arthur, who instructed him to get him to the chair that Gwen had vacated when she helped hold Merlin down.

Gaius looked gravely at Arthur. "I fear there is little hope now. I must consider easing his passing. Arthur this is a painful; a brutal way to die."

Arthur shook his head vehemently. "No! He can still pull through this Gaius. I refuse to believe that he is going to die. Do you hear me?"

Gaius turned terribly sad eyes to his ward. Losing Merlin was like losing a child of his own. He desperately wanted to share Arthur's belief, but the scientist in him, the physician in him, told him that it couldn't be so. Arthur looked at Gaius and Gwen, "Gwen, I'm sure Morgana needs you, Gaius go; I'll stay here with him." Both looked reluctant to leave. "Don't worry, the guard will come in and help me if he has another fit."

The guard took the prince's words as a dismissal and quietly stepped outside the door, but remained just past the door frame. Gwen made sure to get Arthur's leg propped up on a stool before she too took her leave. Gaius stared at Merlin a moment longer before also silently turning to leave the room.

"Gaius, is there really nothing more you can do for him?" Arthur asked, plaintively.

Gaius stopped and looked back. He had lost hope for the boy's recovery over the last twenty-four hours and that showed in his face. "This is a battle that Merlin must fight on his own. I only wish he possessed your recuperative powers, Sire."

Seeing the devastation in Arthur's eyes, Gaius sighed deeply. "I don't believe it is possible he could come back to us. I'm sorry, Arthur."

The physician had been sure that Merlin would recover after seeing what he thought he had witnessed upon Merlin's collapse, but the raging fever and now this seizure seemed too much for even the young warlock to overcome. He shook his head sadly and turned without another word leaving the room.

Arthur was shaken by what he had witnessed and by Gaius' lack of hope. He may not admit it aloud, but he considered Merlin a friend. If he were to be completely honest with himself he knew that Merlin was one of the few people in his life who truly _was _his friend; he held nothing back, or at least very little. He spoke his mind openly, knowing that Arthur would not persecute him for it. He challenged Arthur's ideas and opinions not only of himself, but of the kingdom and how things should be in a fair and just society. In short, Merlin wasn't just a supplicant; he was a true and honest friend, and might have someday made a valuable advisor to a king.

Arthur had seen enough battle wounds to know how grave Merlin's situation had become. Far stronger men had died with lesser injuries due to infection. He thought about the last time he and Merlin had spoken, out in the forest. Why hadn't he seen how injured the boy was? Why didn't he insist that Merlin return to Camelot alone to get help? Gaius' words kept repeating in his mind.

'_I must admit that your recovery thus far has been nothing short of miraculous. I have treated many broken bones and you've shown remarkable healing even before I set the bone and treated the injury.'_

_'I have been a physician for a very long time and when I am faced with a situation that defies reasonable explanation I must ask myself what the cause is.'_

'_I only wish he possessed your recuperative powers, Sire._'

Arthur gazed down at his leg and another remembered conversation came unbidden to his mind.

_'Merlin, did it occur to you that this stranger might be a sorcerer?'_

_'I suppose he could have been, but it seems pretty unlikely.'_

_'Unlikely? Merlin, honestly what do you know about magic? You know, sorcerer or not, this mead is good and I don't want to worry about this trader right now.'_

Arthur felt as if his heart had stopped momentarily, then it sped up rapidly. He looked around the room trying frantically to spy what he sought. It wasn't there.

"Guard!" he called, in a voice that was excited and fearful at the same time. The guard rushed in, not knowing what to expect. "Go to my chambers and look for a backpack. It would have come back with us when we first arrived."

The guard frowned in confusion, wondering what the prince was talking about and why he seemed so agitated.

"Go! Now, quickly!"

At that command, the man turned and left the room hastily. He had no desire to incur the young prince's wrath. Arthur thought about their time in the forest. Each time he drank the mead he felt much better. He suspected that the trader was something other than he claimed. If that mead did indeed have magical properties, it could easily explain his unusual healing ability. Then another thought occurred to Arthur. If Odin Gillivray was a sorcerer and the mead had magical healing properties then to use it knowingly was breaking the laws of Camelot; laws he had sworn an oath to uphold when he was crowned prince of the land and assumed, officially, the mantle of leadership one day.

Arthur looked again at Merlin and watched as his eyes darted back and forth restlessly under closed lids. His face was covered in sweat and he was having some trouble breathing; panting softly as the fever raged through his body. He looked so small and vulnerable that Arthur realized, in that moment, he didn't care about the law. If the law allowed an innocent man, a noble and valiant man, to die then the law was wrong.

Perhaps this Gillivray was a sorcerer. Perhaps, just perhaps, he foresaw this injury and Merlin's struggle for life. Maybe, he had given the mead to Merlin so that he would be able to heal from this wound. But, what had the boy done? He had given it to Arthur for his broken leg! It was ridiculous. A broken bone would heal; a sword wound was far more dangerous. Why had Merlin done this?

Arthur's musings were broken off when the guard came back holding the pack that Merlin had carried. It was worn and beaten, much the way the young man was. Arthur almost snatched it from the guard's outstretched hands and began searching through it for the flask. He found it quickly and dropped the pack. The flask was about half full and he unscrewed the cap praying that the contents were still good and not spoilt from sitting in the pack for three days. He sniffed at it experimentally and found the smell to be warm and welcoming. Just the smell of the mead alone brought about a calming sensation and Arthur was even more convinced that Merlin's life depended on this. He looked up to the guard who stood by uncertainly wondering what was so important about this flask the prince was interested in.

"I need you to help me. Lift him up to a position where he can drink."

The guard raised his eyebrows in shock. He wasn't sure he had heard correctly. "Excuse me, Sire?"

"Which word didn't you understand? Lift him up so that he can drink."

The guard moved around to the opposite side of the bed, not wishing to try and squeeze between Arthur's propped leg and the boy in the bed. He had to kneel on the mattress in order to get close enough to raise the young man's shoulders. When he did, Merlin's head flopped backward pathetically so he adjusted his hold; bringing his upper arm in close to allow Merlin's head to rest on it. Arthur leaned forward saying a silent prayer that he was right about this and tipped the flask up allowing a small amount of the liquid to pour into Merlin's mouth. He reached over and closed his jaw and waited for the young man to swallow. He did this several more times until Merlin had consumed at least half of the mead remaining in the flask.

Finally Arthur sat back and nodded to the guard to lower Merlin back into the pillows. As the man came back around the bed Arthur addressed him. "Thank you for your help. What happened here, just now, is never to be spoken of. Is that clear?"

The man recognized the steel in Prince Arthur's eyes. He nodded his head in understanding and said, "Yes, Sire."

"Please close the door on your way out. I'll call if I need anything else."

The guard nodded and bowed slightly, then exited the room with a decidedly perplexed look on his face.

Arthur looked over his shoulder to be certain the door was closed tightly before he turned back to the young man laying so still, his entire body drenched from the fever. Arthur took one of the linen cloths set aside for the purpose of wiping down Merlin's fevered brow and soaked it with water from the basin set next to the bed. He began to wipe down his servant's brow and arms not really knowing what else he should do at the moment. As he worked, Arthur's thoughts spilled out unbidden.

"You can be a real pain in the ass, Merlin; you know that don't you? What the hell were you thinking? You should have told me how badly you were hurt. You should have trusted me. Honestly, I don't know why I put up with you at all. You are opinionated, outspoken, and disrespectful of my station. You have called me a 'prat' on more occasions than I care to count, and you think nothing of questioning my authority."

Arthur sat back in the chair for a moment holding the wet cloth that was now quite warm from contact with Merlin's heated body wishing the young man would snap back with some witty retort, but he just lay there breathing hard as his eyes continued to dart back and forth under closed lids in his delirium.

"You have never had any qualms about disagreeing with me and fiercely challenging my decisions or opinions when you _do_ disagree. I guess that is the truest test of friendship, and I think that I have come to rely on that. You don't just stand up to me, Merlin; you stand beside me, and you always have."

Arthur had to stop speaking for a moment as feelings welled up inside of him, feelings he didn't know how to express. This was new territory for the young prince who had spent almost his entire life trying to be as self-reliant and self-contained as possible because that is what was required of him. He re-wet the cloth and began the task of wiping down Merlin's fevered body as he took a deep breath to get his emotions under control before he spoke again.

"You told Gwen that you don't matter. That's not true, Merlin. You matter to me, you matter to Gwen, to Gaius, to Morgana - Merlin, you _do_ matter."

Arthur had to stop speaking once again as his voice grew husky with emotion. He stopped and put the linen cloth back on the bed side table and after a moment he swallowed hard and continued.

"I am a better prince..." Arthur's voice broke despite his efforts to remain tightly controlled. He leaned forward getting a little closer as if mere proximity would make the words hold more power. "I am a better man for having known you. You were right about me; what you said back in the forest was true. I _do_ need you."

Arthur cleared his throat, willing his emotions back into check. "You have to fight, Merlin. You must hold on." He tried to laugh, but it came out more as a snort. "Hell, I'd order you to get better if I thought you'd obey me."

Arthur took a hold of Merlin's hand, feeling the heat continuing to radiate off of him in waves. "Just don't give up. I promise that I won't give up on you; you just have to hold on."

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** This is the final chapter. I hope you all enjoyed the ride.

I have a total of 8 Merlin story lines that are vying for my attention to get written. Three have already been throughly outlined while the others are a little more vague. There is one that is half written that takes place within a week after the final episode of season one after Merlin and Gaius return from The Isle of the Blessed. Other than that all of my plot ideas are based on or within the time line of the episodes in season one so stay tuned for some new stories!.

I wish to thank all those folks who took time to let me know what you thought of this work. Your reviews are always a treat to read and they make the extra work and research worth every hour spent on them. Thanks once again to dHALL for stepping in on these last two chapter's as beta.  
Enjoy  
Alice I

**Chapter Fourteen**

By midday, Arthur was actually glad to see Edward when he entered Merlin's chamber; carrying the walking sticks that Arthur had left behind in one hand, and a tray holding the prince's lunch in the other. After sitting in the chair next to Merlin's bed for nearly two and a half hours, Arthur was decidedly stiff and sore. He knew he could have called the guard to come and help him get back to his own chamber, but he felt oddly compelled to stay and watch over Merlin. He continued to wipe down his brow and talk to the young man about anything and everything until his voice was hoarse. Edward's arrival meant that he could put his leg down and move around, if it only meant standing up.

"Ah, Edward. Thank goodness. Let me have those walking sticks."

The young servant set the tray that he managed to balance on only one hand down on the table without tipping the pitcher on it or disturbing anything else on the tray. Arthur couldn't help thinking of what a disaster that maneuver would have been in Merlin's hands. Then Edward stepped over to the prince and handed over the walking sticks.

"Just stand close by in case I lose my balance." Arthur commanded, and he grabbed hold of the handles the way Gaius had showed him and raised himself up out of the chair.

He wobbled a little and Edward grabbed his forearm to steady the prince. It felt so good to get up out of the chair and allow blood to flow through his lower body again that Arthur just stood there for a moment. He looked over at the tray of food and his stomach rumbled in response to the sight of it. Arthur moved slowly, trying to make sure he wouldn't fall forward the way he had done earlier, as he carefully made his way over to the table. It felt absolutely marvelous to be able to move about on his own and he sent a silent thanks to Gaius for the sticks.

"Edward, do you have any idea where Gaius is? I would have expected him back before now."

"I saw the court physician going into the market place earlier today. He was headed for the herbalist, if the Lady Morgana's handmaiden is correct. That was quite some time ago, however. Would you like me to fetch him for you, Sire?"

Arthur had made it over to the table and gingerly sat down in front of the tray of lunch. "No, that's alright. I was just wondering where he was."

Edward poured a cup of water for Arthur from the pitcher, which the prince gratefully drank to ease the dryness of his throat. As Arthur began to eat, Edward set about straightening up the room. He cleared out the dirty linens that had been used to wipe Merlin's fevered body and replaced them with fresh clean ones. He dumped the water in the basin by the bed side and poured fresh water into it and set that down next to the clean linens. He picked up a worn and battered backpack, eying it curiously, and then sitting it in the armoire. He picked up the odd looking flask sitting on the bedside. He shook it slightly, noting that it was nearly empty, and was about to dump it in with the waste water.

Arthur hadn't been paying too much attention to the quiet efficient work of his temporary man-servant, but he did glance at the young man when he picked up Merlin's back pack. Arthur had just raised the cup to drink when he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. Edward had picked up the flask of mead and was about dump the remains in the waste water bucket. Spurting water out of his mouth, Arthur nearly lunged at the man as he shouted, "No! Don't touch that!"

Edward practically jumped out of his skin and then froze, looking at Arthur shocked. "I'm sorry, Sire. The flask is nearly empty and I thought that it needed to be washed."

Arthur was standing and balancing precariously on his good leg. He leaned forward with his hand extended. "Give it to me."

Edward, now thoroughly flustered, handed the flask over to the prince apologizing repeatedly.

"Enough." He said forcefully. Feeling as though he needed to make an excuse for his reaction, he added "It's Merlin's. He may not want it dumped." He quickly capped the flask and slipped it inside his shirt for safe keeping.

Arthur had lost his appetite and dismissed Edward, who left with the remains of the lunch tray and the bucket of waste water. The man looked completely chagrined and cowed. Arthur hadn't yelled at him that much. Merlin would never have been daunted so easily. He would have come back with some witty retort about not leaving important things lying about with the trash that needs to be picked up. Arthur used the walking sticks to get back over to the chair by the bed and lifted his casted leg up on the stool.

It was throbbing slightly and the swelling had increased because it had been down while he ate his lunch. He could use something for the discomfort and was about to call for the guard to try and find Gaius when the door opened and the physician walked in.

"Ah, there you are Gaius." Arthur said, turning in his seat.

The physician walked into the room and bowed slightly to Arthur. His face looked beaten and worn down. Even his posture was slumped as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. What really struck Arthur were Gaius' eyes. They were swollen and red rimmed. They reflected a deep sorrow that seemed to reach right to the old man's soul. It was obvious to Arthur that Gaius had been crying.

This took the young prince completely off guard. He had known Gaius his entire life and never had he seen the court physician cry. He had seen him get angry enough to make the king back down, he had seen him laugh until he couldn't breathe, he had seen true compassion radiate from the wise old eyes, but he had never seen the man cry. As he approached, Arthur could see that he was holding a small vial filled with an opal colored liquid.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to return, Sire. I had an errand to run."

Gaius' voice was husky and it cracked when he spoke. Arthur eyed the vial suspiciously and turned in his chair to face the physician directly. He unconsciously leaned a little to his right, as if blocking Merlin from the old man's view.

"What is that, Gaius?" Arthur asked, pointing to the vial.

"It is for Merlin, Sire... to ease his passing." Gaius answered with so much anguish laced within his words that it almost made Arthur's heart stop.

Processing what Gaius had said, his eyes widened with shocked disbelief and he allowed his casted leg to drop to the floor as he stood up using one of the walking sticks for support. He positioned himself between Gaius and the boy lying in the bed, clearly indicating that he would not allow the physician to pass.

"No, Gaius! I will not permit you to kill him!"

Gaius stood facing Arthur, looking stricken by his words. "Sire..." he stopped and shook his head sadly. "Is that what you think I want?"

Arthur defiantly squared his shoulders. "You have given up, Gaius. I promised Merlin that I wouldn't give up on him and I won't. You want to 'ease his passing'? That is nothing more than a euphemism for murder!"

Arthur's words hit Gaius with such emotional force that he flinched as though slapped in the face and stepped back slightly, stunned by the accusation.

"Merlin is like a son to me, Arthur. I love him as if he were my own. That is why I cannot stand by and allow him to suffer needlessly." Gaius' voice cracked with emotion and new unshed tears sprung up in his eyes. In a stronger voice he said, "I assure you, Sire, making this elixir was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life."

Arthur felt badly to have caused the old man this kind of pain, but he wouldn't budge. He would not allow Merlin to be euthanized by Gaius or anyone else. "Examine him." He ordered, in a strong and commanding voice.

Gaius frowned in confusion. "Sire?"

"You are a physician; examine your patient."

Gaius' stricken expression was replaced with something closer to a cross between confusion and suspicion, a fact that was not lost on Arthur. He knew that he was taking a huge risk, but that couldn't be helped. The old man stepped over to the bedside as Arthur moved out of the way, sitting back down in the chair. He used his good leg to push the chair back from the bed so that Gaius had unrestricted access to Merlin.

* * *

Gaius was beyond shocked by Arthur's cruel words, and he still felt a strong pang of guilty remorse. When the prince ordered him to examine Merlin, a small flicker of hope ignited in his heart. Arthur spoke so assuredly; he seemed so positive that Merlin would recover that Gaius felt his heart skip a beat. It was clear to the aging physician that Arthur was up to something. This wasn't just a case of a friend doggedly refusing to accept the inevitable.

As he approached the boy, lying so still in the bed, his hope almost crashed to the ground. There were no quivers in his muscles, his breathing was no longer labored, and he was no longer thrashing about in the throes of fevered delirium. For a glimmer of a moment Gaius thought that he was too late and that Merlin had passed, but as he stared at him he saw the steady rise and fall of the boy's chest.

Almost haltingly, Gaius reached out and touched Merlin's forehead. He still had a fever, but he was definitely cooler than he had been. He took a hold of the boy's wrist and felt his pulse. His heart rate had slowed from its frantic pace and felt steady and strong. He reached down to Merlin's waist and checked the wound under the bandage on his belly and while there were still signs of infection, it looked markedly better than it had that same morning. Gaius barely dared to believe what he was seeing. It made no sense at all, unless...

The physician stood up and turned to face Arthur with a piercing stare. "What have you done?" Outright accusing the young prince of breaking the laws of Camelot, laws that he himself had bent more than a little by harboring a warlock, was hardly his intention; but Gaius could find no other explanation so he blurted out, "Merlin was dying. That's all there is to it. Now his fever is lower, his pulse is stronger and steadier, his breathing is no longer labored and his wound is showing unfeasible improvement. This kind of rapid recovery can only be explained by the use of magic."

As Gaius looked at him, Arthur paled slightly, but he did not bow his head in shame. Instead, he reached into his shirt and with drew out the flask.

"When Merlin and I were in the forest, he told me of an old trader who gave him a ride. The way he described this man and his experiences with him… I began to suspect that he was no mere trader. He gave Merlin a ride from just outside the Knavesmire Wood all the way to Ealdor in the space of a single night."

Gaius frowned and sat down on the edge of the bed facing Arthur. "That's not likely. Ealdor is more than a day away from Camelot."

"I'm aware of that. He saw this trader again on his return trip. The man gave him a ride again and by nightfall they had come from Ealdor to Ithandin."

Gaius shook his head, still confused. "What was Merlin's explanation for this remarkable travel time?"

"He didn't know. For some reason, both times he traveled with Odin, he fell asleep. He was at his destination each time when he woke up."

Gaius grew concerned by that statement. He knew that Merlin was experiencing fatigue due to the anemia but this was clearly something else. He wanted to examine the flask that the prince had produced, but Arthur held it tightly, not willing to give up his hold on it until he had finished his story.

"When Odin and Merlin stopped just outside of Ithandin, they slept for the night along the side of the road. Merlin mentioned that the food Odin made was better than anything he had ever had before. He also drank some mead that was very strong. He said he fell asleep quickly and slept better than he had in a long time. When he woke, Odin was gone but had left behind some food for him; which again was better, in Merlin's opinion, than anything he had ever tasted in his life. He also found this flask by his back pack. It was full of the mead that Odin had shared with him the night before."

Gaius reached his hand out toward Arthur. "May I see it?"

Arthur seemed reluctant to hand it over, but after a moment he relented. The physician opened it and smelled the contents.

"Gaius, when Merlin showed up and rescued me from those thieves, he looked well. He wasn't pale at all. He was strong. And while he looked ridiculous trying to wield my sword, he still managed to do so with enough luck and skill to kill a skilled adversary. It was nearly midday by the time he was able to begin to dig me out from under my horse. He has had no energy that late in the day ever since he was attacked at the stables. He offered the flask to me several times during our journey back to Camelot. The mead made my leg feel remarkably better. It was still very painful, but nevertheless it was more tolerable than I could have imagined possible."

Gaius sniffed at the flask again. "So, you think that this mead is actually a magical potion, and that this trader, this Odin, is a sorcerer?"

"I suspected that he might be a druid. As you said, magic is the only possible explanation. I mean, how else could Merlin have done everything that he did with a wound such as that?"

"This could be very dangerous, Arthur." Gaius admonished. "We know nothing of this Odin."

Arthur reached over and took the flask back from Gaius before he could object. "I drank almost half of what was in this flask at Merlin's insistence. You said it yourself Gaius. My recovery is nothing short of miraculous." Looking slightly less sure of himself, he blurted out, "I gave some to Merlin this earlier. I would have given it to him sooner, but I had forgotten about it until this morning. But now look at him. He's alive, Gaius. He's still alive, and what's more he's recovering."

Gaius remained silent for a moment, thinking. He seemed to be weighing something in his mind and Arthur began to feel a little nervous.

"Arthur, you knowingly administered a magical potion to Merlin. You do realize that the king would consider that an act of treason? You have consorted with a sorcerer."

Arthur knew that this might happen, but he'd had time to think and he was prepared for it. "I can hardly be charged with consorting with a sorcerer or druid that I have never actually met. I don't care if it's against the law, Gaius. This helped me, it helped Merlin." Arthur held up the flask. "How is this evil? Tell me that, Gaius? How can something that saves the life of an innocent man be evil?"

Gaius leaned forward and placed a hand on Arthur's arm, feeling the tension in the muscles there. "It isn't evil, Sire. Magic is neither good nor evil. That is the prerogative of people. Magic is only a tool."

Arthur was heartened by what Gaius was saying. He was concerned for a moment that the physician would turn him into the king. "My father must never know of this." he said, as he held up the flask.

Gaius smiled broadly and sat back. He felt lighter than he had in days. He only nodded his agreement with Arthur before turning back to Merlin to cover him up.

* * *

Two days and the rest of the mead later, Merlin slowly opened his eyes trying to focus on his surroundings. The last thing he could remember was sitting in a chair in Arthur's chambers, talking to Gaius, while the wound in his side robbed him of the last of his strength. He stared up at the deep red drapes of the four poster bed he lay in, confused. This was neither Arthur's bed chamber nor any bed chamber he had been in before. The bed was soft and comfortable, which in and of itself was disconcerting, but as he looked to his right he was certain that the world was turned upside down. Sitting there next to him, with his leg propped up, was the Crowned-Prince of Camelot reading a book. The fact that Arthur was reading wasn't what confounded Merlin so, but rather the fact that he was there at all.

Sensing eyes on him, Arthur looked up from his book, and seeing Merlin awake he smiled. "Well, it's about time you woke up. How are you feeling?" Arthur asked, as he set the book down on the bedside table.

Merlin tried to push himself up to a sitting position and gasped in pain as his side protested the movement. Arthur reached out quickly and helped him, grabbing pillows to stuff in behind his back for support. Once Merlin was comfortable, Arthur reached again to the bedside table and poured a cup of water from a short silver pitcher and handed it to Merlin. "Here drink this."

Merlin looked at the proffered drink as though it were something completely foreign before turning a stunned and slightly disconcerted expression up at Arthur. "I'm dead aren't I?"

Arthur frowned slightly in an effort to hold back a smile. "What?"

"That must be it. I've died. But, since I can still feel pain I'm in some sort of bizarre purgatory where the Crowned-Prince of Camelot sits by a servant's side and offers him... what is that? It's not poisoned is it?"

Arthur looked offended. "Of course it's not, you idiot."

Merlin accepted the water. "That sounds more like reality, but where am I and what am I doing here?"

Gaius had entered the room, unbeknownst to either of the young men, and answered before Arthur could say anything. "You are in the room next to Arthur's and you were brought here by Uther himself."

Merlin nearly choked on the water and looked up startled at Gaius. "Oh that does it, now I know I'm dead; either that or delirious."

Gaius smiled, hearing a bit of the Merlin he was used to. "You are neither dead nor delirious; well, at least not any longer."

Merlin was no more clear on his current circumstances than he had been a moment before, and as a point in fact he was now even more confused. "I don't follow."

"I see your intellect is no worse for the fever then." Arthur quipped.

Gaius stepped over to the bed to get a closer look at his patient and Arthur lifted himself from the chair using some odd looking sticks. "I need to go, but I'll be back later. I'm glad you're feeling better, Merlin."

Merlin watched him with a puzzled look on his face as Arthur used the sticks, which fit under his arms, swinging with his good leg allowing him to move without putting any weight on the broken one. At least he remembered the part where Arthur had broken his leg when his slain horse fell on top of him. As the door closed behind the young prince, Gaius sat gently on the edge of the bed and lifted the bandage on Merlin's waist to examine his wound.

"You really did give us quite a scare, Merlin. You should have said something… told someone that you were wounded."

Merlin tried to hold still as Gaius checked his wound, but it was sore and incredibly uncomfortable. "I still don't understand why I'm here in this room. Why wasn't I taken to your chambers?"

Gaius was satisfied with the healing and reapplied the bandage before he looked up at Merlin. "What do you remember?"

Merlin had to stop and think. His mind felt fuzzy and his surroundings didn't help dissuade the surreal feeling he had. "I remember helping you to set Arthur's leg. That was a bit difficult to watch, actually. Then my side started to hurt a lot and I sat down. You asked me if I was alright. Gwen was there and she went to fetch water and your rounds medical kit."

"Do you remember what you said to me after Gwen left?"

The same deep sadness that Merlin had felt since losing his magic came crashing back, and it showed in his eyes. He knew that this was all too real and not just a dream. "I remember, but none of that explains how I got here and why."

"Well, after you passed out I had some job of getting you off that chair and on the floor. Gwen arrived with my supplies just after Uther came to check on Arthur. The bandits that you over powered had been rounded up by the King and his guard. He had been told how you managed to fend off the brigands and dig Arthur out from under his horse, and then practically carried him back to Camelot. He was as impressed as any of us that you were able to do that having suffered a sword wound like this. You saved Arthur's life, Merlin, and you did it without magic."

A slight smile turned up the corners of the young man's mouth. "I guess I did at that, too bad I nearly did _myself_ in, in the process."

Gaius stood and emptied a small pouch of powder into a cup and added water. "Uther was quite impressed, and when I asked him to have one of the guards take you to my chambers, I was surprised to see him lift you up himself and carry you to this room. You have been here ever since, as I attended to both you and Arthur." Merlin took the cup that Gaius handed him and made a face at the smell. "Just drink it down and try not to think about it." Gaius instructed.

"How long have I been here?"

"It has been nearly a week. Your wound was infected and you raged with a fever for days. Gwen, Morgana and even Arthur have taken turns watching over you so that I could attend to my other duties while you recuperated. Even Uther has stopped in from time to time to see how you were fairing. It seems saving Arthur's life yet again has firmly put you in his good graces."

Merlin shook his head, not really sure if he was willing to believe what Gaius had told him. He felt weak and thoroughly spent, but he wanted to get up and move around. Gaius wouldn't allow it, explaining that he had at least another few days of complete bed rest ahead of him.

"How is your mother?" Gaius asked conversationally.

Merlin immediately grew red-faced and looked down at his lap in shame. "I'm sorry that I did that... left without a word or a note. You have been good to me and you didn't deserve to be worried like that."

"No matter. I understand why you were upset. In truth, if our situations had been reversed I would have been equally angry with you."

"I'm not happy about leaving the way I did, but it was good to see her. She helped me to put things into perspective. I miss home, but I belong here."

Gaius hadn't told Merlin what he had witnessed after he passed out in Arthur's chambers and he was trying to think of a way to test a theory he had developed. The Great Dragon had been very clear about a couple of things when Gaius spoke to him. He had said that the dragon whose tooth was embedded in Merlin's heart was his mate in a magical sense. He also said that only the pure of heart can wield the magic born in dragon kind. In Morgana's vision, when Nimueh invoked the incantation to bind Merlin's magic to the dragon tooth, a green light had formed over his heart. When Merlin collapsed, a green light emanated throughout the room.

Gaius had postulated in his own mind that the light meant that the dragon had relinquished its hold over Merlin's magic, and that was why he was initially sure that Merlin would recover from his wound. It made the boy's deterioration even more heartbreaking when it looked as though Merlin would surely die. Gaius didn't dare to raise Merlin's hopes falsely. He suspected that the boy's magic had returned, but he wanted to test his theory without Merlin knowing what was happening.

Finally, he decided that he would do exactly what he had done the first morning after Merlin arrived in Camelot. Turning away from Merlin, Gaius reached over to the bedside table and tipped the silver pitcher of water over. Merlin reacted instinctively as he had done that morning and suspended time. For a moment the pitcher and the water stood in midair before the shock of what he had just done registered and the pitcher and water crashed to the floor. Merlin sat in bed, staring with his mouth open wide at what had just happened, but Gaius stood back smiling widely.

"What? How? Wait a minute, did I... did I do that?"

"Well, _I_ certainly didn't. It seems that you have been accepted as pure of heart by your dragon mate."

If Merlin looked stunned a moment ago with the unexpected return of his magic it was nothing to the utterly dumbfounded look on his face at Gaius' statement.

"My what!?"

THE END


End file.
